Oveross VANS RV-8 N998TT

Summary

On 7 May 2000 at about 15:01 local time, a Oveross VANS RV-8 registered N998TT was involved in an accident near Independence, Oregon, 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

7 May 2000 at 15:01

Classification

Accident

Location

Independence, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Independence State (7S5)

Coordinates

44.8308, -123.2001

Aircraft

Oveross VANS RV-8

Registration

N998TT

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA00LA084

Nobody was injured.

The rotation of the right fuel tank elbow fitting within the tank during previous maintenance. The improper alignment resulted in the fuel pick-up tube being mis-positioned and a subsequent starvation of fuel to the engine. Contributing factors were the non-installation of an anti-rotation bracket to secure the elbow fitting, the kit manufacturer's failure to issue a notice of the bracket design to previous aircraft owners, and the pilot's not establishing/maintaining a proper rate of descent resulting in a hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Approximately 100 feet above ground level the engine of the pilot/builder assembled RV-8 kit-plane began to run rough. The pilot made a left 90 degree turn to return to land during which all power was lost. He then turned back right and landed hard, collapsing the landing gear. Fueling records revealed approximately 10 gallons of fuel in the right tank per the pilot's estimate. Post-crash examination revealed that the fuel pick-up tube within the right tank had become mis-positioned (twisted) approximately 180 degrees, placing the tube pick-up end at the mid-level of the 21 gallon tank, and resulting in fuel starvation. The pilot had done maintenance on the right tank several weeks earlier including tightening a hex nut which retained the 90-degree elbow fitting holding the pick-up tube in place. Tightening of the hex nut without an anti-rotation bracket could rotate the pick-up tube into a mis-position. The aircraft design and construction predated the dissemination of design plans containing the anti-rotation bracket, and the manufacturer had not issued any notice of the bracket specifications to the pilot/builder. The pilot/builder, unaware of the specifications, had not installed the bracket in the right fuel tank.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.