# NTSB WPR22LA317: Flight Design General Avn Ctsw SuperSport, N916CA, Boulder City, NV, August 26, 2022 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: August 26, 2022, 12:53 local (19:53 UTC) - Place: Boulder City, NV · Solar farm access road - Coordinates: 35.942499, -114.88212 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.9425&lon=-114.8821&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Maneuvering: Unknown or undetermined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious, 1 minor - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Western Pacific Region - Parties: Rotax-Rotech Flight Safety, FAA-FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 105805 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR22LA317 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/105805/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=105805 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR22LA317 ## Probable cause A total loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Engine (reciprocating)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058500): Aircraft › Aircraft power plant · Unknown/Not determined (probable cause); cases with it: [Flight Design General Avn CTSW, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058500/cases.md?model=06001CR), [All aircraft, 497 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01058500/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Maneuvering: Unknown or undetermined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000) (defining event); cases with it: [Flight Design General Avn CTSW, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000/sequence.md?model=06001CR), [All aircraft, 1,703 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/000/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot reported that he and his passenger were on the second flight of the day when the accident occurred. He refueled the airplane with 8 gallons and departed on the accident flight with a total of 19 gallons of fuel on board. During the accident flight the pilot maintained equal levels of fuel in both wing tanks for about 1 hour 20 minutes into the 2-hour flight, when he placed the fuel selector to “BOTH.” Calculations based on time and fuel flow indicated that about 7.5 gallons of fuel was consumed during the flight. The pilot reported that he saw his fuel pressure gauge move from indicating green to 0 psi. The pilot turned on the fuel pump and soon after the engine started to “sputter” and then the propeller stopped. He attempted to restart the engine three times without success. Although the airplane was equipped with an emergency parachute, the pilot elected to execute a forced landing to an unpaved service road; subsequently, the landing gear collapsed and the airplane veered into a fence. The airplane’s wing and fuselage, including the windshield right pillar, sustained substantial damage. The right fuel tank delivery lines at the inboard side of the right wing separated from impact damage, and an undetermined amount of fuel continued to pour into the cabin area as the pilot and passenger were egressing the airplane. Postaccident examination of the engine and airframe revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The reason for the total loss of engine power could not be determined. ## Factual narrative On August 26, 2022, about 1253 Pacific daylight time, a Flight Design CTSW SuperSport airplane, N916CA, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Boulder City, Nevada. The pilot sustained minor injuries and the passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that he and his passenger were on the second flight of the day when the accident occurred. While maneuvering near a mountain range approaching his destination airport, Henderson Executive Airport (HND), Hendersen, Nevada,, he saw his fuel pressure gauge move from indicating green to 0 psi. The pilot turned on the fuel pump and soon after the engine started to “sputter.” The pilot decided to turn back to the Boulder City Municipal Airport (BVU), Boulder City, Nevada, which was the closer airport. The propeller then stopped. He attempted to restart the engine three times without success. The pilot configured the airplane for best glide and soon after realized that he was not going to make the runway at BVU. Although the airplane was equipped with an emergency parachute, he elected to execute a forced landing to an unpaved service road; subsequently, the landing gear collapsed and the airplane veered into a fence. The airplane’s wing and fuselage, including the windshield right pillar, sustained substantial damage. During the first flight of the day, the pilot reported that the fuel selector was in the “BOTH” position for the entire 3 hour and 7-minute flight. The flight was uneventful and the airplane had consumed six gallons of fuel from the left tank and two gallons of fuel from the right tank. The airplane was refueled with 8 gallons and departed with a total of 19 gallons of fuel onboard. During the accident flight the pilot maintained equal levels of fuel in both wing tanks for about 1 hour 20 minutes into the 2-hour flight, when he placed the fuel selector to “BOTH.” Fuel flow calculations indicated that about 7.5 gallons of fuel was consumed during the flight. The pilot further reported that the fuel tank delivery lines at the inboard side of the right wing separated, and an undetermined amount of fuel continued to pour into the cabin area as they were egressing the airplane. Both he and the passenger were soaked from fuel. An examination of the accident site conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration indicated that the left tank was about half full of fuel and the amount of fuel in the right tank could not be determined due to the position of the airplane after the accident sequence. The main fuel shutoff valve was found in the closed position for both tanks. The airplane’s fuel cell installation was comprised of two 17.2-gallon capacity wing tanks (1/2 gallon unusable for each tank). Manufacturer data indicated that the airplane’s engine consumed about 4.5 gallons of fuel per hour. Postaccident examination of the engine and fuel system, including thefuel pumps, as well as the airframe revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A Dynon SkyView panel-mounted display was downloaded and contained accident flight data. The data showed that about an hour and 50 minutes into the accident flight the fuel flow dropped from 4.7 to 3.7 gph and a few seconds later fuel pressure dropped from about 40 to 34 psi About 30 seconds later, both fuel flow and fuel pressure dropped to near zero. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N916CA](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N916CA-2023-10-11), registration cancelled 2023-10-11, S/N D-21-09-02, built 2021 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: FLIGHT DESIGN GENERAL AVN GMBH CTSW SuperSport - Registry model: [Flight Design General Avn CTSW](https://openairdocs.org/model/flight-design-general-avn-ctsw) (registry code 06001CR) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Rotax 912IS2](https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotax-912is2) (registry code 55590, 4 cycle) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: D-21-09-02 - Year built: 2021 - Airframe hours: 95 - Engines: ROTAX 912IS2 100 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Flightstar Inc - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal; Special, Special light-sport (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, May 28, 2022, 71.3 hours before - Departed: MLF, Milford, UT - Destination: HND, Henderson, NV - Airport: BVU, Boulder City Municipal Airport - Equipment: Angle of attack indicator, Auto-pilot, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display, Onboard weather, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Airframe parachute ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 69; injuries: minor; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; seat: left; restraint: 3-point; flight hours: 525 total, 72 in this make and model, 393 as pilot in command ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 310° at 8 knots - Temperature: 100 °F, dew point 52 °F - Altimeter: 29.87 inHg - Icing: Unknown - Turbulence: Light - Observed at: KBVU, 4 nm away - METAR: KBVU 262155Z AUTO 31008KT 38/11 A2987 RMK AO2 PWINO TSNO ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20220826021969A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20220826021969A), Aug 26, 2022: Flight Design General Avn Gmbh CTSW, Boulder City, NV, Substantial damage. On 8-26-2022, the aircraft was enroute from milford airport (mfl) to henderson airport (hnd), while near the Boulder City airport (bvu) the aircraft… ## Docket (11 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 2, 2024, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=105805. 17.4 MB in all. - Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 11 pages, 2.3 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16892182&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=6120_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Fuel receipt (item 2, PDF, 1 page, 129 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16892248&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=bank%20statement%20copy%20of%20fuel%20bill%20for%20N916CA_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Photo array-accident site (courtesy of boulder city fire deparment) (item 3, PDF, 4 pages, 549 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16912461&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Photo%20Array%20Template-BC%20Fire-Rel.pdf - FAA accident site-field notes (item 4, PDF, 1 page, 124 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16892192&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Email-FAA%20Onsite%20Notes_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Email-pilot on fuel at the accident site (item 5, PDF, 2 pages, 168 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16912423&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Re_%20Accident%20Update_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Recovery efforts-fuel quantities (item 6, PDF, 1 page, 363 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16892258&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=RE_%20N916CA-Fuel%20Recovered-FAA_Redacted-Rel.pdf - NTSB airframe examination summary report (item 7, PDF, 5 pages, 8 photos, 661 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16891977&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=WPR22LA317%20Airframe%20Examination%20Summary%20Report-Rel.pdf - NTSB engine examination summary report (item 8, PDF, 5 pages, 6 photos, 422 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16892028&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=WPR22LA317%20Engine%20Examination%20Summary%20Report-Rel.pdf - Dynon raw data (item 9, XLSX, 12.3 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16911967&FileExtension=xlsx&FileName=Accident%20Flight%20FLT-USER_LOG_DATA.csv-Rel.xlsx - Dynon data graphs (item 10, PDF, 2 pages, 292 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16891570&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Dynon%20Graphs-Rel.pdf - Release of aircraft wreckage, NTSB form 6120.15 (item 11, PDF, 1 page, 124 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16910825&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=WPR22LA317%20Retention-Release-of-Wreckage-Form%20SIGNED_Redacted-Rel.pdf From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.