Halderman Floyd G RV-6A N464EH

Summary

On 11 September 2012 at about 13:30 local time, a Halderman Floyd G RV-6A registered N464EH was involved in an accident near Eldon, Missouri, 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

11 September 2012 at 13:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Eldon, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

Eldon Model Airpark (H79)

Coordinates

38.3617, -92.5714

Aircraft

Halderman Floyd G RV-6A

Registration

N464EH

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Eldon → Eldon

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN12LA630

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper fuel management, which resulted in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane impacted a fence and trees during a forced landing following a complete loss of engine power after takeoff. The pilot/builder of the airplane reported that the purpose of the flight was to ascertain the unusable fuel quantity in the right wing fuel tank. His intent was to fly the airplane on the right fuel tank until the engine gave signs that it was running out of fuel and then switch to the left wing fuel tank which contained more fuel. He said that he had done this previously on other airplanes that he had built to get an accurate in-flight fuel gauge indication of the low fuel state. He said that on the accident flight, he took off on the right tank and as he made a climbing turn after takeoff the engine stopped producing power and the airplane stalled. He lowered the nose, leveled the wings, and selected a field in which to make a forced landing. Upon landing the airplane hit a fence and trees at the edge of the field. Examination of the airplane after the accident revealed that the right wing fuel tank contained approximately two gallons of fuel. The left wing fuel tank was about 1/2 full. A postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.