Rare WACO T-10 N98TW

Summary

On 10 August 2002 at about 22:00 local time, a Rare WACO T-10 registered N98TW was involved in an accident near Omaha, Nebraska, United States. 3 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

10 August 2002 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Omaha, Nebraska, United States

Coordinates

41.1958, -96.1122

Aircraft

Rare WACO T-10

Registration

N98TW

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Omaha → Wahoo

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI02LA242

Nobody was injured.

The partial loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of a restricted fuel line, and the unsuitable terrain for landing encountered by the pilot. A contributing factor was the bean field.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The experimental airplane sustained substantial damage during a forced landing to a bean field after a partial loss of engine power during cruise flight. The pilot reported he was flying at 2,400 feet mean sea level when the engine began to run sporadically with large fuel pressure fluctuations. Attempts to restore engine power failed and the pilot executed a forced landing. The inspection of the airplane's flight controls and engine controls revealed continuity with no anomalies. The inspection revealed that the engine driven fuel pump, throttle body, fuel nozzles, fuel flow divider, electric fuel pump, and the magnetos were in good operating condition. A fuel sample was tested and it tested in the normal range with no contamination. During the inspection of the fuel system, approximately one and a half gallons were drained from the quick drain at the bottom of the fuselage before the fuel "slowed to a dribble." The inspection revealed that two drilled-out rivet heads were restricting the fuel line between the main fuel tank and the header tank. Approximately 19 gallons of fuel were drained from the main fuel tank. The inspection revealed that the tank did not have a finger screen installed at the outlet port. The two drilled out rivet heads found in the fuel line had not been used in the construction of the fuel tank and were foreign to the fuel system. The engine was removed from the airframe for an engine run. The engine operated normally at idle power and at full power during the engine run.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.