WPR20LA259

The pilot departed with 16 gallons of fuel (about 3 hours of flight time) on board for the local flight. About one hour after the departure, the engine experienced a loss of engine power. He switched the fuel selector from the wing tank position to the center tank position, and the engine regained power for 30 seconds before it lost power again. The pilot manipulated the fuel selector two more times only to experience an additional 20 seconds of regained engine power. The pilot then executed an emergency landing during which the fuselage was substantially damaged. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the left-wing fuel cap was not secured to the fuel tank and both wing fuel tanks were empty. The pilot’s failure to secure the left wing fuel cap likely created a leak in the fuel system which would have exhausted the fuel supply sooner than the pilot planned for and resulted in a loss of power.

On August 9, 2020, at 0800 Pacific daylight time, a Page/Le Master, Vari-eze experimental airplane, N2ZE, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Kelso Valley, California. The pilot was seriously injured, and the passenger sustained a minor injury. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. The pilot stated he departed California City Municipal Airport (L71), California City, California, with 16 gallons of fuel (about 3 hours of flight time) on board. About 1 hour after the departure, the engine experienced a loss of engine power. The pilot switched the fuel selector from the wing tank position to the center tank position, and the engine regained power for 30 seconds before it lost power. The pilot manipulated the fuel selector from the center tank to the wing tank and back to center tank only to experience an additional 20 seconds of regained engine power. The pilot then decided to execute an emergency landing during which the fuselage was substantially damaged. The pilot reported the loss of engine power was due to “a lack of fuel.” He also reported that he last flew the airplane about 6 months before the accident, and he performed the maintenance on the airplane. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the left-wing fuel cap was not secured to the fuel tank and both wing fuel tanks were empty. The fuel filter bowl was also empty, and the filter was absent of any debris.