Starduster II N80FE

Summary

On 21 August 1983 at about 14:30 local time, a Starduster II registered N80FE was involved in an accident near Wakefield, Virginia, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

21 August 1983 at 14:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Wakefield, Virginia, United States

Coordinates

36.9595, -76.9807

Aircraft

Starduster II

Registration

N80FE

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Newport News → Petersburg

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL83LA332

1 person was seriously injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

DURING FLT, THE ENG LOST POWER & THE PROPELLER STOPPED. THE PASSENGER RECALLED HEARING A 'TICKING' SOUND FROM THE ENG PRIOR TO THE POWER LOSS. ACCORDING TO THE PLT & THE PASSENGER, THE ACFT STALLED & BEGAN TO SPIN AS THE PLT TRIED TO TURN INTO A BEAN FIELD DURING A FORCED LANDING APPROACH. AN EXAM OF THE ENG REVEALED A HOLE HAD BEEN BURNED THRU THE TOP OF THE #4 CYLINDER NEAR A SPARK PLUG HOLE. THE PISTON TOPS WERE FREE OF CARBON & HAD EVIDENCE OF EXCESSIVE HEAT, WHICH WOULD BE INDICATIVE OF DETONATION. THE #1 PISTON WAS SCUFFED, THERE WAS A SMALL SECTION MISSING FROM THE TOP SIDE OF THE PISTON & THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE PISTON AT THE BOTTOM COMPRESSION RING. A FUEL SAMPLE WAS CHECKED & DID NOT MEET THE SPECIFICATIONS FOR AVIATION GASOLINE, BUT HAD CHARACTERISTICS OF AUTOMOTIVE FUEL. ADDITIONALLY, CHAMPION RHB32E SPARK PLUGS WERE FOUND IN THE ENG, BUT WERE NOT APPROVED IN THE CONTINENTAL IO-360-D.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.