Navion L-17A N2968C

Summary

On 22 July 2003 at about 01:39 local time, a Navion L-17A registered N2968C was involved in an accident near Canton, Illinois, United States. One person was on board and 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

22 July 2003 at 01:39

Classification

Accident

Location

Canton, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Ingersoll (CTK)

Coordinates

40.5708, -90.0803

Aircraft

Navion L-17A

Registration

N2968C

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Delaware → Canton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

CHI03LA221

1 person had minor injuries.

A complete loss of engine power during landing approach for undetermined reasons, as well as the unsuitable terrain for a forced landing encountered by the pilot. Contributing factors were the berm and the crops.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a complete loss of engine power. The pilot stated: "Boost pump was turned on [in preparation for landing]; engine immediately hesitated for 1-2 seconds and then failed (to windmill state)." The pilot's attempts to restart the engine were not successful. Unable to make the runway, the pilot decided to execute a forced landing straight ahead; approximately one-quarter mile from of the airport. The aircraft impacted a bean field and struck a berm, shearing off the landing gear. According to the pilot, approximately ten miles from the destination and prior to the engine failure, he switched from the main fuel tanks to the auxiliary fuel tank. He reported the "switch over was made using boost pump for approximately 30 seconds. Engine operation after switch over was smooth." He noted the elasped flight time at the time the tanks were changed was about 3 hours. The aircraft's main fuel tank capacity was 39-1/2 gallons and fuel burn rate was about 12 gallons per hour. A total of four gallons of fuel was recovered from the main fuel tanks. The auxiliary fuel tank was about half full. The fuel selector was set to the aux tank. A post-accident inspection of the engine revealed that when the electric fuel pump was activated, fuel was observed leaking from the carburetor. The carburetor was subsequently bench tested and torn down. Movement of the mixture control was "sluggish." Of the ten data points measured during the bench test, flow rates at two were determined to be slightly out of acceptable standards. All other test points measured within acceptable limits. No external leakage was observed. Upon teardown, the mixture control needle and spring were found to be covered with grease. According to the manufacturer, the anomalies noted during the carburetor exam would not be expected to significantly affect engine performance or contribute to the loss of power reported by the pilot. According to the Federal Aviation Administration Type Certificate Data Sheet for the L-17A, all auxiliary fuel tank installations are required to have a placard in clear view of the pilot restricting use of the aux tank to level flight only. A placard was not present in the aircraft when inspected after the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.