Stol JA30 SUPERSTOL N556TW

Summary

On 2 August 2015 at about 21:40 local time, a Stol JA30 SUPERSTOL registered N556TW, operated by Stol LLC, was involved in an accident near West Union, South Carolina, 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

2 August 2015 at 21:40

Classification

Accident

Location

West Union, South Carolina, United States

Coordinates

34.7528, -82.9931

Aircraft

Stol JA30 SUPERSTOL

Registration

N556TW

Category

Airplane

Year built

2014

Engines

1

Operator

Stol LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Walhalla → West Union

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA15CA295

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power while maneuvering due to water contamination in the fuel.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he and the passenger were nearing the conclusion of a local flight when the engine began to "sputter and run rough." The engine momentarily ran smooth before it began to run rough a second time, followed by a total loss of power. The pilot maneuvered the airplane for a forced landing, and stated that engine power was restored just prior to impact with trees and terrain. The airplane came to rest upright, and sustained substantial damage to both wings and the empennage.  During a postaccident wreckage examination, a 1-quart fuel sample was drained from the airplane, and about half of the sample was water. The pilot stated that prior to the accident flight, he had mistakenly fueled the airplane from a container of contaminated fuel.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.