Floyd Joseph B RV6 N164BF

Summary

On 24 July 2011 at about 16:05 local time, a Floyd Joseph B RV6 registered N164BF, operated by Floyd Joseph B, was involved in an accident near Hartford, Kentucky, United States. 2 people were 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

24 July 2011 at 16:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Hartford, Kentucky, United States

Coordinates

37.4386, -86.8561

Aircraft

Floyd Joseph B RV6

Registration

N164BF

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Floyd Joseph B

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bowling Green → Oshkosh

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA11LA418

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power due to fuel contamination as a result of the pilot/owner's inadequate maintenance of the airplane's fuel system, which resulted in blockage of the fuel lines and filters.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot/owner/builder stated that the airplane was in cruise flight at 7,000 feet mean sea level when he moved the fuel selector from the left main tank to the right auxiliary tank. The engine ran for a short time before it "stumbled," and lost power. The pilot’s efforts to restart the engine were unsuccessful, so he elected to shut off the fuel and perform a forced landing to a road. During the landing, the airplane struck a guardrail. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that several fuel system components and screens were partially or fully occluded with particles that resembled rust and material with the appearance, odor, and consistency of varnish. According to the pilot, his use of the auxiliary tanks was intermittent, and he had serviced them with fuel just prior to departing on the accident flight. He further explained that the varnish material from the right auxiliary tank had completely occluded the fuel line, filter, and "blocked all fuel supply to the engine," which resulted in a total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.