- Date
- April 16, 1994, 14:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Yelm, WA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N82QUNewgard Kitfox III
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940416047389A
- Case key
- 41962
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 due to an inadequately installed fuel line.
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
Shortly after takeoff, the engine lost power. The pilot made a forced landing to an open field, and during the landing roll the airplane collided with a fence. The pilot reported that a fuel line became kinked and starved the engine of fuel.
Factual narrative
On April 16, 1994, at 1400 Pacific daylight time, a Kitfox III, N82QU, experienced a loss of engine power shortly after takeoff from a private airstrip near Yelm, Washington. The pilot initiated a forced landing to an open field. During the landing roll, the airplane collided with a fence before coming to rest. The airplane was substantially damaged and the commercial pilot and his passenger were not injured. The local pleasure flight had originated from Yelm.
The pilot reported that after the loss of engine power, he made a turn to the right to return to the airstrip. The airplane was unable to make it to the airstrip and the pilot initiated a forced landing to an open field. The airplane landed hard and rolled through a barb wire fence before coming to rest.
The pilot stated that he was not aware of structural damage at the time of the occurrence and did not report the accident. A Sheriff's Department Field Investigation Report was mailed to the Federal Aviation Administration, Renton, Washington, Flight Standards District Office on June 23, 1994. A Federal Aviation Administration Inspector made contact with the pilot, who had since repaired the airplane. As a result of this conversation, it was found that the airplane had sustained structural damage. The accident was reported on June 29, 1994.
The pilot reported that the engine lost power due to a kink in a flexible automotive fuel line. As a result of this kinked fuel line, the engine was starved of fuel.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N82QU
- Reported as
- Newgard Kitfox III
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1798
- Airframe hours
- 43
- Engine
- Bombardier ROTAX 582, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Newgard, Peter M.
- Registered owner
- Newgard, Peter M.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 18, 1993 · 43 hours before
- Destination
- WA
- Airport
- Flying B, runway 31, 2,200 × 100 ft, grass/turf
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
- 62
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,500 total · 43 in this make and model · 39 in the last 90 days · 22 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.