Ben Travis KITFOX IV N149BT

Summary

On 25 May 1999 at about 00:05 local time, a Ben Travis KITFOX IV registered N149BT was involved in an accident near Carnation, Washington, United States. 2 people were 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

25 May 1999 at 00:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Carnation, Washington, United States

Coordinates

47.6391, -121.8904

Aircraft

Ben Travis KITFOX IV

Registration

N149BT

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sequim → Monroe

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA99LA071

Nobody was injured.

Loss of engine power due to a cracked engine impulse line, which disabled the fuel pump. A factor was the intentional ground loop by the pilot.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While in a cruise flight configuration the aircraft's engine started to lose power and eventually quit. The pilot executed a forced landing in a crowned hay field. Upon touchdown, the aircraft bounced, momentarily became airborne, then touched down a second time. In an effort to stop, the pilot intentionally ground-looped the aircraft. The aircraft came to rest in a irrigation canal that paralleled the hay field. The aircraft's main landing gear and both wings were substantially damaged. A post accident inspection of the engine revealed a large crack in the impulse line running from the engine's crankcase to the pulse fuel pump. A technical representative from Rotax Engines stated that a breech of this type in the impulse line would result in a failure of the pulse fuel pump.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.