FTW93LA243

A complete power loss was experienced during a practice flight as the airplane was flying a low pass down a runway with a wing walker strapped to the upper wing. The pilot stated that he could not maneuver back to the runway and he executed a forced landing into a wooded residential area. He attempted to land in the tops of the trees; however, the airplane feel nose first to the ground. The pilot reported that the engine failure was caused by a failed fuel pump, but he did not submit the pump for examination. The wing walker, stated that the power loss was a result of fuel exhaustion. On scene examination of the wreckage by the FAA revealed some fuel in the tank and fuel spillage around the accident site.

On August 21, 1993, at 1828 central daylight time, a Boeing A75N1, N450EC, was substantially damaged when it collided with trees during a forced landing near Lafayette, Louisiana. The airplane, flown by an ATP rated pilot, was on a local aerobatic practice flight. There was no flight plan filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed throughout the area. The pilot and a wing walker who was strapped to the top of the upper wing received serious injuries.

The pilot and wing walker had completed their practice session and were returning to the home airport. According to the pilot and witnesses, he had flown a low pass down runway 22L at about 500 feet AGL and then banked right and flew down the length of runway 29. The pilot stated that the engine quit when the airplane was about 2/3rds of the way down runway 29. One of the pilot witnesses stated that the engine "sputtered" and then "fired up again for about 10-15 seconds" and then quit completely. The pilot stated that after the power loss, he could not get back to the runway. He further stated that he was forced to execute a forced landing into a wooded residential area. He stated that he attempted to land in the top of the trees; however, the airplane subsequently fell nose first to the ground. The wing walker remained strapped to the wing throughout the accident sequence.

On his Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot reported that the engine driven fuel pump had failed and that the failure resulted in the accident. He did not provide the pump to either the NTSB or FAA as requested for additional examination. The wing walker, who was asked to submit a written statement, but did not, stated that the cause of the engine failure was fuel exhaustion. It was noted that the airplane had been topped off prior to the first flight of the day and had flown approximately 1:45 prior to the accident. The FAA coordinator reported that about 2 to 3 gallons of fuel were present in the tank after the accident and he noted that fuel continued to drain from the lines. He also reported there had been a fuel spill on the ground. The pilot reported that 8 to 10 gallons of fuel was drained from the airplane during the recovery.