Czech Aircraft Works Spol Sro SPORTCRUISER N187SF

Summary

On 28 February 2016 at about 18:37 local time, a Czech Aircraft Works Spol Sro SPORTCRUISER registered N187SF was involved in an accident near Atlanta, Georgia, 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

28 February 2016 at 18:37

Classification

Accident

Location

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Dekalb-Peachtree (PDK)

Coordinates

33.8756, -84.3019

Aircraft

Czech Aircraft Works Spol Sro SPORTCRUISER

Registration

N187SF

Category

Airplane

Year built

2008

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Atlanta → Atlanta

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA16LA120

Nobody was injured.

A total loss of engine power due to fuel vapor lock. Contributing to the accident was the absence of a fuel return line.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot said he performed a preflight inspection of the airplane and let the engine warm up to normal operating temperature before he taxied to the runway and performed a normal run-up of the engine. During takeoff, the engine lost power. The pilot attempted to return and land on the reciprocal runway but landed about 300 ft southeast of the runway on grass. The landing gear collapsed during the landing, which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. Engine performance data downloaded from the airplane's onboard electronic display revealed that the fuel flow to the engine was interrupted shortly before the end of the flight. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation, and during a test run of the engine on the airframe, it ran continuously for several minutes without hesitation. Examination of the fuel system revealed that no fuel return line (or fuel restriction line) had been installed, which was not in accordance with the engine manufacturer's installation instructions. The engine installation manual stated that the purpose of the fuel return line was to prevent the formation of fuel vapor lock. It is likely that the absence of the fuel return line resulted in the engine losing power due to fuel vapor lock.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.