Accident Overview
On June 8, 2017, at approximately 1340 mountain daylight time, a Bellanca 17-30 airplane, registration N7328V, performed a forced landing in a field near Front Range Airport (FTG) in Watkins, Colorado. The commercial-rated pilot and a passenger sustained serious injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The aircraft was registered to and operated by a private individual under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from FTG at an unknown time.
Pilot and Aircraft Information
The pilot reported having 3.4 total hours in the accident airplane type. The airplane owner stated that the pilot had accumulated over two hours in the accident airplane prior to the accident flight. The owner and the pilot received informal training on airplane systems and fuel management in February, with a refresher on fuel management two weeks before the accident. The owner flew the accident airplane on June 7, 2017, for about one hour without anomalies. He told the pilot that fuel needed to be topped off before the next flight, as fuel had not been added after the last 2.5 flight hours. No fuel receipts were discovered during the investigation.
Sequence of Events
The pilot reported that he and the passenger planned to conduct touch-and-go landings at FTG. The main fuel tanks were full before takeoff, and the flight began with the left fuel tank selected. After performing an unknown number of landings, the pilot switched from the left to the right fuel tank while in the traffic pattern. He completed one more touch-and-go landing, and the engine experienced a loss of power on the upwind leg of the traffic pattern. No anomalies were noted before the loss of power, and the fuel gauge indicated full throughout the flight. The pilot switched back to the left tank but was unable to restart the engine. During the forced landing, the airplane impacted a ditch and came to rest upright.
Postaccident Examination
The passenger stated to police that the airplane was at 6,100 ft above mean sea level (700 ft above ground level) when the loss of power occurred, and that they were too low to troubleshoot the problem. A postaccident examination by the FAA revealed damage to the airplane's firewall. The fuel selector was positioned to the left main fuel tank. The two auxiliary tanks were full to the top at the fuel filler port. The right wing was slightly elevated, and an undetermined amount of fuel was visible from the right main fuel tank filler port. During recovery, the left main fuel tank was empty, and the other three fuel tanks contained about 45 gallons of fuel combined.
Engine and Fuel System Tests
A postaccident engine functional test was performed under FAA supervision. A replacement propeller was installed, and an external fuel tank was connected to the engine fuel line. The airplane's electrical power was turned on, but the electric boost pump did not operate. After unsuccessful attempts to start the engine without priming, a replacement electric boost pump was installed in the external fuel tank; this was only needed for engine start. The fuel system was bled, primed, and started on the first attempt. The engine ran at 1,500 rpm until warm, then at 2,100 rpm with no anomalies. The throttle was advanced full forward, yielding 2,800 rpm, followed by a propeller governor reduction to 2,600 rpm. After about one minute, the mixture was set to idle-cutoff, and the engine stopped. The fuel selector valves were then tested: compressed air was blown into the fuel tank outlets, and air was observed emerging from the engine-driven fuel pump inlet line. Both selectors operated normally, with no blockages in the fuel lines. The examination revealed no preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.