HOME BUILT TURBO PROP MAKES EMERGENCY LNDG WHEN PLT IS UNABLE TO ACCESS FUEL IN TANK WITH MALFUNCTIONING VENTING SYSTEM.

Date: 2007-10 · Aircraft: Amateur/Home Built/Experimental

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|other-landed-in-submin-wx

Synopsis

HOME BUILT TURBO PROP MAKES EMERGENCY LNDG WHEN PLT IS UNABLE TO ACCESS FUEL IN TANK WITH MALFUNCTIONING VENTING SYSTEM.

Narrative

IN CRUISE FLT AT 10000 FT; THE FUEL FLOW FROM A TANK CONTAINING 70 GALLONS OF JET A REFUSED TO FLOW AND RESULTED IN A LOW FUEL WARNING FROM THE HEADER TANK. WITH THE LACK OF FUEL FLOW; IT GIVES ABOUT 15 MINS OF FUEL TO LAND. I DECLARED A FUEL RELATED EMER AND FLEW AN EMER ILS APCH INTO ZZZ IN LOW IFR CONDITIONS. THE FLT WAS NEVER IN ANY DANGER AS LONG AS I LANDED WITHIN 15 MINS. A GAS CAP SEAL WAS FOUND TO HAVE PARTIALLY UNSEATED AND RESULTED IN A VENTING PROB FOR THAT TANK. IT HAS BEEN RECTIFIED. THE LOW IMC WAS CONTRIBUTING TO THE DIFFICULTY OF THE SITUATION AND THE INABILITY TO CONTINUE FLT WITHOUT IMPLEMENTING A CORRECTIVE ACTION. ALL APCH CHARTS AND ENRTE L CHARTS WERE ON BOARD AND CURRENT; THE CTLR WAS IMPECCABLE IN HER ASSISTANCE TO GETTING ME QUICKLY ONTO THE APCH AND AN UNEVENTFUL OUTCOME. AFTER CORRECTIVE ACTION; THE REST OF THE FLT WAS CONDUCTED SAFELY AFTER THE WX CONDITIONS IMPROVED. THIS WAS THE FIRST EMER I HAVE EVER DECLARED AND CHOSE TO DECLARE IT DUE TO THE DIFFICULT WX CONDITIONS THAT MIGHT HAVE CAUSED A MISSED APCH AND A DIFFERENT OUTCOME. IF I WAS IN VMC; I WOULD HAVE MADE A QUICK LNDG UNDER VISUAL CONDITIONS AND NOT NEEDED TO DECLARE AN EMER.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.