PLT OF SMA EXPERIMENTAL ACFT LANDED SHORT OF ARPT DUE TO FUEL STARVATION. ACFT RECEIVED MINOR DAMAGE.
Synopsis
PLT OF SMA EXPERIMENTAL ACFT LANDED SHORT OF ARPT DUE TO FUEL STARVATION. ACFT RECEIVED MINOR DAMAGE.
Narrative
REGARDING THE DESCRIPTION EVENT/SIT PORTION OF THE NASA RPT; I WILL DESCRIBE THE UNFORTUNATE OCCURRENCE WHICH TOOK PLACE APR/XX/94 AT XA50 EDT. THE MORNING OF APR/XX/94 I MADE A SUCCESSFUL FLT FROM MERRITT ISLAND ARPT (COI); N APPROX 30 NM AND THEN RETURNED TO MERRITT ISLAND. THE FLT TOOK 1 1/2 HRS. THE FUEL WAS TOPPED OFF TO ITS MAX CAPACITY OF 12 GALLONS BEFORE THE FLT. UPON RETURN I NOTICED THAT APPROX 8 GALLONS OF FUEL WAS USED. THE AFTERNOON OF APR/XY/94 ANOTHER FLT 30 NM N WAS MADE. ON THE SECOND PREFLT THE FUEL QUANTITY WAS NOTICED AND AGAIN TOPPED TO 12 GALLONS. ON THE RETURN LEG BACK TO COI I NOTICED THAT THE FUEL WAS LOW. IT IS IMPORTANT TO MENTION THAT THIS IS AN EXPERIMENTAL ACFT AND THERE IS NOT A FUEL QUANTITY GAUGE; NOR SPECIFIED CRUISE FUEL BURN INFO AVAILABLE. FUEL IS MONITORED VISUALLY. THERE WAS STILL APPROX 1 INCH OF FUEL IN THE TANK. THIS WAS INCREDIBLY LESS THAN WHAT WAS IN THE TANK UPON THE RETURN OF THE FIRST SAID FLT TO THE SAME DEST. APPARENTLY A STRONG HEADWIND ON THE RETURN LEG OF THE SECOND TRIP WAS ENCOUNTERED. THE ARPT WAS IN SIGHT AND I WAS ABOUT 1 MI FROM THE END OF RWY 11 LINED UP FOR A STRAIGHT IN APCH AT 1000 FT WHEN THE ENG BEGAN TO SPUTTER. I INSTRUCTED THE PAX TO PUMP THE FUEL BULB WHICH IS LOCATED JUST BEHIND THE R SEAT; ENG PWR WAS THEN BRIEFLY RESTORED; BUT NOT LONG ENOUGH. THE ENG CONTINUED TO RUN FOR ANOTHER FIVE SECONDS AND THEN QUIT. THIS ACFT IS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AN ELECTRICAL SYS; SO TIME AND ALT DID NOT PERMIT A RESTART ATTEMPT; HOWEVER; THERE WAS STILL FUEL IN THE TANK. IT WAS APPARENT THAT AN EMER LNDG WAS INEVITABLE. I LOCATED A FIELD APPROX 300 FT IN LENGTH AND 1/4 OF A MI OFF THE APCH END OF RWY 11 WITH PWRLINES ON THE APCH END OF THE FIELD. THE PWRLINES COST ME PRECIOUS LNDG DISTANCE WHICH CAUSED THE ACFT TO HIT AN OVERGROWN CHAIN LINK FENCE AND THICK UNDERBRUSH. AUTHORITIES WERE THEN NOTIFIED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT ONLY 1 LNDG GEAR WAS SHEARED OFF AND 1 WING SLIGHTLY DAMAGED AS A RESULT OF THIS FORCED LNDG. THE ACFT WAS AN EXPERIMENTAL; TIGAR II WITH A ROTEX ENG NOT BUILT FOR AVIATION USE! THE ENG ONLY OF COURSE. RPTR FURTHER STATED THAT IT WAS A HEADWIND THAT CAUSED HIM TO TAKE LONGER ON HIS SECOND TRIP; CAUSING MORE FUEL TO BE CONSUMED THAN THE FIRST. THIS INCIDENT WAS INVESTIGATED BY THE FAA FSDO. RPTR DID NOT KNOW THEIR CLASSIFICATION OF THE OCCURRENCE.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.