- Date
- April 19, 1993, 16:57 local (20:57 UTC)
- Place
- Zephyrhills, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N540PSSiegel Glasair III
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 22, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930419009659A
- Case key
- 33257
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
Contamination (fiberglass dust) in the fuel system and/or a piece of plastic (foreign) material in the fuel injector, which resulted in restricted flow of fuel to the engine, loss of engine power, and subsequent collision with trees and terrain during a 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
The private pilot conducted a precautionary landing because of a rough-running engine. After landing, the gascolator and fuel injector nozzles were removed, cleaned, and reinstalled on the airplane. The fuel sumps were drained, and an engine run-up was conducted. On initial takeoff climb at about 300 feet AGL, the airplane experienced a partial loss of engine power followed by a total loss of engine power. A forced landing was conducted resulting in an in-flight collision with trees and terrain. Examination of the airplane by the FAA revealed fiberglass dust in the main fuel header tank, tank screen, main fuel filter, and under the diaphragm in the fuel flow divider. The engine fuel injector (bendix model RSA10ED1) was partially disassembled. A piece of plastic material was found in the venturi pressure chamber side of the air diaphragm of sufficient size to block the passageway to the venturi. Tests showed that blockage of the passageway would result in restricted fuel flow.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N540PS
- Reported as
- Siegel Glasair III (GLASAIR II)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 10001
- Airframe hours
- 45
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1H5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Siegel, Jr., Paul F.
- Registered owner
- Siegel, Jr., Paul F.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 23, 1992 · 45 hours before
- Departed
- ZPH
- Destination
- LUK · Cincinnati, OH
- Flight plan
- IFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 41
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,732 total · 50 in this make and model · 1,732 as pilot in command · 46 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 7 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TPA, 10 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.