Accident Overview
On October 10, 2009, at about 1345 Pacific daylight time, a Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecnam P2004 Bravo, N649BV, sustained substantial damage during an emergency landing at Franklin Field Airport (F72), Franklin, California. The airplane was operated by Sterling Flight LLC under 14 CFR Part 91 as an instructional flight. The certified flight instructor (CFI) and student pilot were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight had departed Buchanan Field Airport (CCR), Concord, California, at 1315. No flight plan was filed.
Flight and Fuel Management
According to the CFI, the flight began with about 18 gallons of fuel. After approximately 25 minutes of flight, both pilots noticed the right fuel tank indicated a higher fuel level, so they turned off the left fuel tank selector switch. Upon reaching Franklin Field, they entered the pattern for closed traffic. During pre-landing checks, the CFI believed he toggled a fuel tank switch to feed from both tanks. They performed two uneventful touch-and-go landings.
Engine Failure
On the third or fourth touch-and-go takeoff, the engine sputtered and quit. The CFI described the engine stoppage as consistent with fuel starvation—a second or two of sputter rather than a sudden stop. The CFI took control, noting altitude below 150 feet, and continued straight ahead toward a nearby field. As the airplane approached touchdown, the CFI saw a barbed-wire fence and adjusted to clear it. The field was rough, and the nose wheel could not be kept off the ground. Upon touchdown, the nose landing gear sheared off, and the airplane nosed over, coming to rest inverted.
Student Account
The student pilot reported that they intended to practice touch-and-go landings. The first was normal. On the second, he misjudged the landing distance and executed a go-around. Two more touch-and-goes followed. On the landing before the accident, the student felt they were higher than usual but not concerned. He informed the CFI of his intent to land, received approval, and landed without incident. Adding full throttle for takeoff, the airplane climbed to about 150 feet when he heard engine irregularities for a few seconds. The engine slowed and then returned to full power, but shortly after, a complete engine failure occurred, and the propeller stopped. The CFI took over at the first sign of trouble and announced a landing in a field ahead of the runway. The airplane descended rapidly, impacted the ground, and flipped over.
Post-Accident Actions
After the airplane came to rest inverted, the CFI exited and instructed the student to turn off all electronics, the fuel, and the ignition. The student attempted to turn off the pilot’s side fuel selector but found it already in the off position. The left-side fuel selector had been turned off earlier during the flight. The copilot’s fuel selector was in the on position, so the student turned it off before departing the airplane. The CFI opined he might have inadvertently switched the active fuel tank off during the flight.
Aircraft Damage
The airplane sustained substantial damage when the nose landing gear was sheared off and the fuselage was inverted. No information on other structural damage was provided.
Conclusion
The source does not state a formal probable cause. The evidence indicates that the loss of engine power resulted from fuel starvation due to improper fuel selector management.