Douglas TA-4K N140EM

Summary

On 18 August 2016 at about 14:39 local time, a Douglas TA-4K registered N140EM, operated by Draken International Inc, was involved in an accident near Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 August 2016 at 14:39

Classification

Accident

Location

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Nellis Afb (LSV)

Coordinates

36.2350, -115.0339

Aircraft

Douglas TA-4K

Registration

N140EM

Category

Airplane

Year built

1970

Engines

1

Operator

Draken International Inc

Operating rule

Public Use

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Las Vegas → Las Vegas

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR16FA166

1 person had minor injuries.

Foreign object debris in the engine's main fuel control unit, which restricted fuel flow and subsequently resulted in the loss of engine power. Contributing to the accident was the installation or addition of an extra seal during the main fuel control unit rebuild.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the experimental turbojet airplane, the lead airplane of a flight of two, was returning to the airport after providing combat training support. He led the formation to the overhead pattern, and shortly after the break to downwind, the engine lost power. The engine did not respond to throttle movements. The pilot started a turn toward the airport; however, he realized that he was unable to make the runway, so he turned left away from the runway toward a field and then successfully ejected from the airplane. The airplane subsequently struck terrain and was consumed by fire. No anomalies were noted during the initial airframe and engine examination that would have precluded normal operation. However, examination of the main fuel control (MFC) revealed foreign object debris (FOD) from a nonmetallic material inside the MFC unit. The material was identified as a nylon 6/6 material that was consistent with other seal material in the unit. However, all similar seal material inside the MFC was at its expected location. Further, the flow path made it unlikely that any nylon 6/6 material within the MFC could have migrated from known sources during the postimpact fire to where the FOD was located. Additionally, it was unlikely the nylon material was deposited into the MFC after the accident because examination of fuel components downstream of the MFC revealed no anomalies, obstructions, or nylon material. The MFC was rebuilt about 17 years before the accident, and the airplane had flown about 425 hours since then. It is likely that the FOD was part of an extra seal that was inadvertently installed or fell into the unit at the last maintenance overhaul. Subsequently, the FOD in the MFC eventually became positioned in such a way that restricted fuel flow and caused the loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.