Pahnke Vernon A VANS RV 9A N699RV

Summary

On 22 September 2016 at about 19:00 local time, a Pahnke Vernon A VANS RV 9A registered N699RV was involved in an accident near Newark, Illinois, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 September 2016 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Newark, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Cushing Field Ltd (0C8)

Coordinates

41.5194, -88.6056

Aircraft

Pahnke Vernon A VANS RV 9A

Registration

N699RV

Category

Airplane

Year built

2006

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bolingbrook → Gardner

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN16LA387

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to properly assemble the fuel pump, which resulted in the loss of fuel pressure and the subsequent partial loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting a cross-country flight in an experimental airplane when he observed the fuel pressure fluctuating, and the engine began to surge. The pilot turned on the backup fuel pump but the engine continued to surge, so he diverted to a nearby airport. The pilot stated that he had difficulty visually acquiring the airport and was losing altitude while circling over the airport. He performed an "S" turn but was still too high. He was running out of runway below him, so he performed a "hard slip" to lose altitude. The airplane stalled 10-15 ft above the runway, hit the ground, and slid about 30 ft before stopping. The primary fuel pump had failed 4 days before the accident. The pilot replaced the fuel pump with a new unit that required partial assembly. He noted during assembly that there was not an O-ring where the lower fitting attached but that the mating surfaces were different between the two pumps and he had believed one was not required. The instructions with the new pump did not address the installation of an O-ring at the fitting. After the accident, the pilot reexamined the box the new fuel pump came in and found an O-ring for the lower fitting. Without the O-ring installed, the fuel system was not able to maintain the fuel pressure necessary to ensure smooth engine operation and resulted in the partial loss of engine power. The pilot stated the accident resulted from this maintenance issue.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.