- Date
- September 24, 2014, 14:15 local (21:15 UTC)
- Place
- Sonoma, CA
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N99FLLundak Robert Kitfox IV
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Fuel starvation
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 15, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20140924019919A
- Case key
- 90156
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
The pilot's inadequate fuel management which resulted in an engine failure due to fuel starvation and subsequent collision with power lines during the forced landing.
Findings · 5
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot stated that about 10 minutes after departing, with the airplane configured for cruise flight at about 2,000 feet above ground level (agl), the engine experienced a loss of power. The airplane began to descend and the pilot spotted a road to perform an emergency landing. Around 750 feet agl the pilot then turned on the fuel wing tank valves, but the engine failed to restart. The road became obscured by trees due to an s-bend and as he descended closer, he observed a vehicle ahead. As he turned away from the road, the airplane struck power lines that were along the road. The airframe structure was substantially damaged. The pilot later stated that he believed that the engine experienced a loss of power due to the fuel valves being off on the wing tanks. The system was designed as such that each wing tank had a shut off valve prior to the fuel reaching a five gallon header tank. He thought it was likely that the airplane was able to depart and be in cruise for the 10 minute duration by exhausting all of the fuel that was in the header tank. The pilot reported no pre impact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that about 10 minutes after departing, with the airplane configured for cruise flight at about 2,000 feet above ground level (agl), the engine experienced a loss of power. The airplane began to descend and the pilot spotted a road to perform an emergency landing. Around 750 feet agl the pilot then turned on the fuel wing tank valves, but the engine failed to restart. The road became obscured by trees due to an s-bend and as he descended closer, he observed a vehicle ahead. As he turned away from the road, the airplane struck power lines that were along the road. The airframe structure was substantially damaged.The pilot later stated that he believed that the engine experienced a loss of power due to the fuel valves being off on the wing tanks. The system was designed as such that each wing tank had a shut off valve prior to the fuel reaching a five gallon header tank. He thought it was likely that the airplane was able to depart and be in cruise for the 10 minute duration by exhausting all of the fuel that was in the header tank. The pilot reported no pre impact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N99FL
- Reported as
- Lundak Robert Kitfox IV (IV)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1570
- Built
- 2005
- Airframe hours
- 601
- Engine
- Rotax 912UL, 80 lbs thrust, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · August 13, 2014
- Departed
- 0Q9 · Sonoma, CA
- Destination
- HWD · Hayward, CA
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS
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
- 80
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight engineer, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Waiver time limited special
- Last flight review
- December 23, 2013
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 19,302 total · 600 in this make and model · 14,077 as pilot in command · 16 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 5, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.0 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.