Thompson LONG EZ TR N42DJ

Summary

On 28 July 1996 at about 00:28 local time, a Thompson LONG EZ TR registered N42DJ was involved in an accident near Yucca Valley, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 July 1996 at 00:28

Classification

Accident

Location

Yucca Valley, California, United States

Nearest airport

Yucca Valley (L22)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Thompson LONG EZ TR

Registration

N42DJ

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Palm Springs

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX96LA293

Nobody was injured.

Fuel starvation due to the internal failure of the electric fuel pump and the subsequent fuel flow blockage to the gascolator.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the aircraft was about 300 feet agl in the takeoff initial climb when the engine suddenly quit, restarted momentarily, then quit altogether. The pilot attempted to restart the engine but had insufficient altitude and he landed in soft desert terrain. The aircraft nosed over during the landing roll. An FAA airworthiness inspector examined the aircraft. He reported that the left fuel tank was selected, and that tank contained about 3 gallons of fuel. The right tank contained 5 gallons. No mechanical discrepancies were identified with the engine during the examination. The pilot is an airframe and powerplant mechanic and reported that his aircraft is equipped with both engine driven and electric fuel pumps which are plumbed in series. He stated that following recovery of the aircraft he performed functional tests on the fuel system. With the electric fuel pump turned on very little fuel would flow from the pump outlet line. When the electric pump was removed from the lines, the flow rate to the gascolator was measured at 12 gallons per hour.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.