Sauer KR-2S N811RJ

Summary

On 30 October 2009 at about 18:30 local time, a Sauer KR-2S registered N811RJ, operated by Sauer Robert E Trustee, was involved in an accident near Glendale, Arizona, 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

30 October 2009 at 18:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Glendale, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Glendale Municipal Airport (GEU)

Coordinates

33.5269, -112.2953

Aircraft

Sauer KR-2S

Registration

N811RJ

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Sauer Robert E Trustee

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Glendale → Glendale

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR10LA039

1 person had minor injuries.

A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of a reduced fuel flow to the engine resulting from a misrouted fuel tank vent line, during initial climb.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the experimental homebuilt airplane reported that this was its inaugural flight. The pilot reported that immediately after takeoff, at approximately 300 feet above ground level, the airspeed began to decrease. He lowered the airplane's nose to maintain airspeed when he then noticed that the engine's rpm was also decreasing. He performed a forced landing straight ahead, and during the roll out, the airplane impacted a berm. Both wings were displaced aft and the bottom of the fuselage was broken. The owner/builder of the airplane reported that the airplane's fuel tank was located between the firewall and the instrument panel. The fuel tank's vent line passed through the firewall into the engine compartment and terminated near the bottom of the aircraft. This was the same location that the engine's cooling air flow exited the engine compartment. The builder believed that the exiting airflow may have created a negative pressure in the fuel tank, which would have reduced the fuel flow to the engine during flight. Two Federal Aviation Administration inspectors examined the experimental Corvair 164 CID engine with the pilot. No anomalies that would have prevented normal engine operation was found.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.