Siegel GLASAIR III N540PS
19 April 1993 · Zephyrhills, Florida, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 19 April 1993 at about 20:57 local time, a Siegel GLASAIR III registered N540PS, operated by Siegel, JR., Paul F., was involved in an accident near Zephyrhills, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 20:57
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Zephyrhills, Florida, United States
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Siegel GLASAIR III
- Registration
- N540PS
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Siegel, JR., Paul F.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Cincinnati
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- MIA93LA105
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
CONTAMINATION (FIBERGLASS DUST) IN THE FUEL SYSTEM AND/OR A PIECE OF PLASTIC (FOREIGN) MATERIAL IN THE FUEL INJECTOR, WHICH RESULTED IN RESTRICTED FLOW OF FUEL TO THE ENGINE, LOSS OF ENGINE POWER, AND SUBSEQUENT COLLISION WITH TREES AND TERRAIN DURING A FORCED LANDING.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PRIVATE PILOT CONDUCTED A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING BECAUSE OF A ROUGH-RUNNING ENGINE. AFTER LANDING, THE GASCOLATOR AND FUEL INJECTOR NOZZLES WERE REMOVED, CLEANED, AND REINSTALLED ON THE AIRPLANE. THE FUEL SUMPS WERE DRAINED, AND AN ENGINE RUN-UP WAS CONDUCTED. ON INITIAL TAKEOFF CLIMB AT ABOUT 300 FEET AGL, THE AIRPLANE EXPERIENCED A PARTIAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER FOLLOWED BY A TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. A FORCED LANDING WAS CONDUCTED RESULTING IN AN IN-FLIGHT COLLISION WITH TREES AND TERRAIN. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE BY THE FAA REVEALED FIBERGLASS DUST IN THE MAIN FUEL HEADER TANK, TANK SCREEN, MAIN FUEL FILTER, AND UNDER THE DIAPHRAGM IN THE FUEL FLOW DIVIDER. THE ENGINE FUEL INJECTOR (BENDIX MODEL RSA10ED1) WAS PARTIALLY DISASSEMBLED. A PIECE OF PLASTIC MATERIAL WAS FOUND IN THE VENTURI PRESSURE CHAMBER SIDE OF THE AIR DIAPHRAGM OF SUFFICIENT SIZE TO BLOCK THE PASSAGEWAY TO THE VENTURI. TESTS SHOWED THAT BLOCKAGE OF THE PASSAGEWAY WOULD RESULT IN RESTRICTED FUEL FLOW.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Dec 1993 | Cessna 650 | Tampa, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Dec 1993 | Grumman G-44A | Leesburg, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 31 Dec 1993 | Cessna 150F | Lantana, Florida, United States | Micro Aviation Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 3 Mar 1993 | Smith Ted Aerostar AEROSTAR 600 | Panama City, Florida, United States | Cherokee Leasing, Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
| 18 Jan 1993 | Cessna 140 | Niceville, Florida, United States | RAY, Robert G. | Serious injuries | - |
| 7 Mar 1993 | Piper PA-28-140 | Kissimmee, Florida, United States | Joseph V. Fera | Serious injuries | - |