Scovil KR-2 N73BP

Summary

On 24 March 2000 at about 18:16 local time, a Scovil KR-2 registered N73BP was involved in an accident near Tonopah, Arizona, 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

24 March 2000 at 18:16

Classification

Accident

Location

Tonopah, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

33.4300, -113.0502

Aircraft

Scovil KR-2

Registration

N73BP

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Whiteman → Steller Airpark

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX00LA139

Nobody was injured.

The fuel control metering unit becoming disengaged and the inadvertent use of the fuel supply during flight.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a forced landing in the median of an interstate highway, the airplane collided with trees. According to the pilot, past the halfway portion of his flight, he noticed the fuel gauge was reading too low. He decided to land at the next closest airport to troubleshoot the problem. Before he could reach the airport, the engine lost power. The pilot reported that the POSA fuel-metering device had a main fuel flow that is metered by a needle with a flat milled area along the length of it. The needle slides in and out of a tube, which changes the area through which the fuel feeds. During the mid portion of the flight, the needle rotated slowly resulting in a rich mixture. This increased the fuel consumption rate until the fuel tank was emptied. The pilot stated he inspected the POSA the day after the accident and confirmed that the needle had rotated 90 degrees from the original setting to a position where the airflow was creating a siphon effect.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.