Thomas RV4 N3882N

Summary

On 21 September 2005 at about 15:00 local time, a Thomas RV4 registered N3882N was involved in an accident near Kernville, California, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 September 2005 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Kernville, California, United States

Nearest airport

Kern Valley (L05)

Coordinates

35.7283, -118.4197

Aircraft

Thomas RV4

Registration

N3882N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kernville → Trona

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX05LA309

1 person was seriously injured.

a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation caused by the pilot's failure to select a tank containing fuel for takeoff. A factor in the accident was the lack of a runway overrun area beyond the departure end of the runway.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane collided with obstacles off the departure end of the runway following a loss of engine power in the takeoff initial climb. The airplane took off and reached an altitude of 30 feet when the engine and propeller stopped. The airplane touched down about 150 feet from the end of the runway, overran the pavement, and collided with multiple obstacles. Examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel selector was in the left tank position. The right wing fuel tank filler cap was removed and the tank was observed to be nearly full. The left wing had partially separated from the wing root and the fuel line was broken at that location. The left wing fuel tank filler cap was removed and the tank was observed to be nearly empty. When the left wing was tilted, approximately 1 quart of fluid was observed to drain out. There was no visual evidence or odor of fuel in the ground beneath the left wing. An Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) mechanic examined the airplane's fuel system and reported that there was no fuel found in the fuel line between the engine driven fuel pump and the carburetor. He found about a teaspoon of fuel in the carburetor bowl. He operated the electric fuel pump successfully and disassembled the engine driven fuel pump, noting no peculiarities and an intact diaphragm.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.