- Date
- May 18, 1991, 15:19 local (20:19 UTC)
- Place
- Odessa, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N117BTAustralite Aerobat FPP1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910518016369A
- Case key
- 23335
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Fuel starvation as a result of a cracked fuel line inside the fuel cell. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
A private pilot was returning to land after completing a public aerobatics demonstration at an air show. While on base leg, a power loss occurred. The pilot was unable to make the runway, so he elected to continue on his present heading and land in an open field covered with small mesquite trees. A successful landing was made, but while on the landing roll the airplane impacted several small trees. The tailboom broke two feet behind the propeller arc line. The front canopy plexiglass was also broken. The fuel starvation to the engine was caused by a cracked quarter inch aluminum fuel line inside the fuel cell.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N117BT
- Reported as
- Australite Aerobat FPP1 (AEROBAT FP)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1
- Engine
- Rotax 583, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Australite, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Australite, Inc.
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- E02 · Odessa-Schlemeyer, runway 16, 5,000 × 50 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 59
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 2,000 total · 150 in this make and model · 20 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.