Tschida GLASTAR N5DK

Summary

On 10 April 2005 at about 14:45 local time, a Tschida GLASTAR registered N5DK was involved in an accident near Kendallville, Indiana, 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

10 April 2005 at 14:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Kendallville, Indiana, United States

Nearest airport

Kendallville Muni (C62)

Coordinates

41.4728, -85.2608

Aircraft

Tschida GLASTAR

Registration

N5DK

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kendallville → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI05LA094

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of the fuel flow restriction at the internal engine fuel filter due the presence of the silicone sealant material. Contributing factors were the unsuitable terrain for a forced landing short of the airport property, as well as the road and ditch.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The amateur-built experimental airplane was substantially damaged when it lost engine power after takeoff. The pilot was in the traffic pattern and attempted to execute a forced landing on the departure runway. However, the glide path was not sufficient to reach the runway and the airplane impacted a road and ditch adjacent to the airport. This was the first flight of the airplane. The pilot was the owner and builder of the aircraft. The pilot stated that after takeoff, he experienced a "very quick" 8-knot reduction in airspeed. The loss in airspeed was followed by a reduction in engine exhaust gas temperature (EGT) of about 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The pilot noted that the loss of airspeed felt like "someone momentarily deployed a speed brake but the airspeed remained at the lower speed." He recalled that the fuel pressure indicated 10 pounds per square inch (psi) at that time. The pilot stated that when he reached a point abeam the end of the runway and began a 180-degree turn to final approach for landing, a second airspeed reduction occurred. He reported that while maintaining a 65-knot glide speed, the glide path would not allow a landing on the runway. The pilot reported that the field adjacent to the airport was too small to permit a safe landing. Because there was no traffic on the road adjoining the airport, he elected to dive toward it in an effort to maintain enough airspeed to pull up and land in a grass area off the end of the runway. However, the airplane's nose wheel caught the edge of the roadway and the aircraft slid across the road and into a ditch. A post-accident inspection revealed that a piece of silicone rubber sealant obstructed the inlet of the internal engine fuel filter. The pilot/builder reported that to the best of his knowledge the sealant material was not used in the construction of the airplane and he was unsure of the source. In addition, a Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane. He noted that several bends in the fuel lines were flattened and did not have a uniform cross-section at those locations.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.