History of Flight
On April 19, 2012, at approximately 1039 Hawaiian standard time, a special light-sport Skykits Savannah ADV airplane, registration N5089F, was substantially damaged after impacting terrain near Ookala, Hawaii, during a personal flight. The pilot/owner was seriously injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 in visual meteorological conditions, and no flight plan was filed.
Two witnesses at a dairy farm heard the airplane overhead. One witness noticed the engine sounded abnormal and observed the airplane descending, believing it would crash. The witnesses tracked the airplane visually and attempted to follow by car but lost sight. Shortly after, they saw the airplane had impacted a field of young corn plants. On reaching the wreckage, they saw the pilot was seriously injured and called 911.
According to the pilot, he based the airplane at Hilo International Airport (ITO). He topped off both fuel tanks before departing ITO, flew northwest along the coast, and landed at Upolu Airport (UPP) in Hawi, Hawaii. He did not exit the airplane and departed UPP minutes later. About 75 minutes after departure from ITO, while cruising at an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 feet, the engine power dropped to about 25% of normal. It briefly returned to near-normal then lost power again. The pilot immediately sought a landing area but did not attempt corrective actions or restart the engine.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate issued on the basis of his Canadian pilot's license. He had approximately 596 total flight hours, including about 548 hours in the accident airplane make and model. His most recent FAA second-class medical certificate was issued in 2006. No records of an FAA-required flight review were found; the pilot stated he was unaware of the requirement. He did not participate in the FAA Wings program and had never attended safety seminars.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was manufactured in 2006 and equipped with a Rotax 912 ULS engine and a Kiev Prop composite three-blade propeller. It had carburetor heat and a fuel boost pump. Two equal-size fuel tanks (one per wing) had a total capacity listed as 19 or 21 gallons. The fuel selector had ON and OFF positions. A placard indicated fuel consumption at 75% power as 19 liters per hour (about 5 gallons per hour).
The pilot used automotive gasoline (mogas) purchased from a local station, which was manufacturer-recommended. The engine manual required fuel meeting ASTM D4814, allowing up to 10% ethanol. The pilot filtered fuel using a "Mr. Funnel" device. It was not determined if he verified ethanol content. Though registration showed the pilot bought the airplane in November 2010, logbooks indicated he was the primary pilot since 2006.
Meteorological Information
The 1053 automated weather observation at ITO included wind from 320° at 4 knots, visibility 10 miles, few clouds at 7,500 feet, temperature 24°C, dew point 18°C, altimeter 30.01 inches of mercury, and rain showers in the vicinity. Temperature and dew point data from a nearby airport indicated carburetor icing would only be expected at glide (low) power settings.
Wreckage and Impact Information
On-scene examination by an FAA inspector revealed the wreckage in a soft, lightly vegetated field at about 1,500 feet elevation, 21 miles northwest of ITO. No ground or vegetation scars existed except under the airplane, which came to rest upright. All three landing gear were deformed upward, the aft fuselage buckled and folded down about 30°, the empennage mostly intact, the left wing slightly deflected down, and all three propeller blades fractured.
The left fuel tank was about two-thirds full. The right tank was compromised with very little fuel, but an accurate quantity could not be determined. The FAA examination found no obvious reason for the engine power loss. The pilot stated in a written submission that the fuel "tanks did not equalize" due to a plugged left fuel tank vent, leading to the power loss and forced landing.
The airplane was equipped with a Dynon Avionics EFIS D100 electronic display and several mechanical instruments. No mechanical airspeed indicator was present; airspeed was displayed on the D100. The validity of airspeed or stall speed information was not determined. The airplane lacked a stall warning system.
One fractured propeller blade contained embedded newspaper with Cyrillic-like text, but the fracture was impact-related and not a factor in the power loss. The investigation found no mechanical deficiencies or failures that would have precluded normal operation and continued flight.