Beechcraft A23 N1451L

Summary

On 22 October 2002 at about 23:00 local time, a Beechcraft A23 registered N1451L was involved in an accident near Farmington, Arkansas, 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

22 October 2002 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Farmington, Arkansas, United States

Nearest airport

Private (NONE)

Coordinates

36.0767, -94.4244

Aircraft

Beechcraft A23

Registration

N1451L

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Farmington → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW03LA023

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power due to the failure of the mechanical fuel pump.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The 200-hour pilot reported that he was conducting taxi tests on the runway (a 2,200 foot-long grass runway), "trying to warm the engine up." On the third test, the airplane "went too far down the runway and [the pilot] was forced to takeoff." At an approximate altitude of 25 feet agl, the engine lost power and the airplane landed hard. Examination of the airplane by the pilot, who was also a certified mechanic, revealed the "mechanical fuel pump seal failed." An FAA inspector reported to the NTSB investigator-in-charge, that the pilot of the accident aircraft started a brief conversation with him, stating that he recently had a fuel pump problem on his airplane and how to possibly recover losses from a recent aircraft accident. During this discussion, the pilot informed the inspector that during a recent annual inspection, the fuel pump on his airplane was "bad." After replacing the old fuel pump, the new fuel pump "only developed 10 psi." The pilot decided to conduct a test flight on the airplane. The pilot mentioned that he replaced the fuel filters and fuel lines in attempt to get a better fuel pressure reading with no success. During one of the test flights, "he [the pilot] crashed the airplane."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.