Navion A N675JM

Summary

On 8 November 2000 at about 19:00 local time, a Navion A registered N675JM was involved in an accident near Lumberton, New Jersey, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 November 2000 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Lumberton, New Jersey, United States

Nearest airport

Flying W Airport (N14)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Navion A

Registration

N675JM

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Vincentown → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC01LA032

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's misjudgment of altitude and distance to the runway while performing a forced landing after an engine failure. Factors related to the accident were the pilot's inadequate rebuilding procedures and maintenance inspection, which resulted in contamination of the fuel supply.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

As the airplane was in the traffic pattern, the engine lost all power. The pilot turned towards the airport, and observed an airplane at the approach end of the runway. The airplane on the ground appeared to be "in position" on the runway and was not moving, so the pilot extended the flaps to full, and lowered the landing gear to slow the airspeed. Realizing that the increased drag would prohibit a glide to the runway, the pilot performed a forced landing to a field. The airplane had been in restoration for about 10 years. During the restoration, the fuel tanks were removed, drained, pressurized, and inspected before being reinstalled in the airplane. Upon completion of the restoration, the pilot sought out a mechanic to perform an annual inspection on the airplane; however, due to problems with the airplane, the mechanic refused to "sign off" the annual inspection, and the airplane was flown without it. Examination of the engine after the accident revealed a brown stained liquid, similar to automotive fuel, draining from fuel lines as they were removed. Debris was also observed in the liquid. The pilot stated that he had never put automotive fuel into the airplane; however, "dried auto fuel" may have been present in the fuel tanks, and loosened as new aviation fuel was added to the tanks. The engine had accumulated about 5 total hours since the restoration.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.