North American/Schwamm AT-6F N164US

Summary

On 6 November 2010 at about 17:10 local time, a North American/Schwamm AT-6F registered N164US was involved in an accident near Fitchburg, Massachusetts, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, 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

6 November 2010 at 17:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Fitchburg, Massachusetts, United States

Nearest airport

Fitchburg Municipal Airport (FIT)

Coordinates

42.5483, -71.7503

Aircraft

North American/Schwamm AT-6F

Registration

N164US

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fitchburg → Fitchburg

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA11LA050

1 person died.

A total loss of engine power due to a cracked carburetor float and resulting carburetor malfunction.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was performing a local, revenue sightseeing flight with a passenger in the aft seat. The flight was recorded on a glareshield-mounted personal video recorder. About 12 minutes into the flight, the pilot commented about an unspecified problem; however, the flight continued. Conversation regarding the airplane’s fuel state indicated that there was adequate fuel on board for the flight. After air work and sightseeing, the flight returned to the local traffic pattern. After turning onto final approach for landing, the engine completely lost power. The pilot was unable to restart the engine, and the airplane crashed short of the runway. Postaccident examination of the carburetor revealed a visible crack in the soldered seam on one of the metal floats. Although there was some impact damage to the carburetor, the cracked float was located inside a fuel chamber that was undamaged. Further examination of the float fracture revealed that it was the result of a dent in the float. The fracture surface was coated with a lead-based corrosion product that was also on the inside of the float, suggesting that the crack had been open and corroding for an extended time period. It is likely that the crack in the float provided a fuel path that allowed the float to fill with fuel, resulting in a carburetor malfunction. Examination of the airplane’s records did not reveal documentation of recent carburetor maintenance.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.