ERA25LA041

During takeoff on an instructional flight, at an altitude of about 300 ft and midfield, the airplane’s engine lost partial power. The flight instructor was unable to restore engine power, initiated a right turn, and conducted a forced landing to an open grassy area near the runway. During the landing the airplane’s right wing and fuselage sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the airplane’s two-stroke engine revealed a fuel leak at the aft carburetor’s fuel supply line when the electric fuel pump was activated. The fuel line exhibited a split extending from the end of the line to beneath the clamp area. The observed split in the fuel line would have reduced fuel supply and pressure to the rear carburetor and was consistent with the reported partial loss of engine power. Maintenance records indicated that the airplane had accrued 10 flight hours since its most recent condition inspection, about 3 months before the accident. The records also showed that the airplane’s fuel lines had been replaced nearly 2 years and less than 40 hours prior to the accident.

On November 2, 2024, about 1015 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Kitfox 4, N620GA, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at New Castle Municipal Airport (UCP), New Castle, Pennsylvania. The flight instructor sustained minor injuries and the student pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The flight instructor reported that there were no anomalies noted during the preflight inspection, engine run-up checks, and previous two takeoff and landings, all performed by the student pilot. During the third takeoff, at an altitude of about 300 ft and midfield, the airplane’s engine partially lost power and the student transferred control of the airplane to the flight instructor. The flight instructor was unable to restore engine power, initiated a right turn, and landed in an open grassy area south of the runway. During the landing roll, the nose landing gear separated, and the airplane traversed across a taxiway before coming to rest in a grassy area adjacent to the runway. The airplane’s right wing and fuselage sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the two-stroke engine performed by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed no anomalies during compression and ignition checks. The fuel was free of contamination, and its coloration was consistent with the presence of oil premix. Fuel staining was observed on the muffler shroud. When the electric fuel pump was activated, a fuel leak was observed at the aft carburetor’s fuel supply line connection to the diaphragm fuel pump. A split in the fuel line was noted extending from the end of the line to beneath the clamp area. Review of the airplane’s maintenance records revealed that the last condition inspection was completed on August 09, 2024, at a total time of 290.5 hours. At the time of the accident, the airplane accrued 300.6 hours, and 10.1 hours since the last inspection. Further review of the maintenance records revealed that the fuel pump, pulse line, and fuel lines were replaced on January 21, 2023, with a recorded time of 252.6 hours.