Avid MARK IV N583DM

Summary

On 13 October 2021 at about 16:20 local time, a Avid MARK IV registered N583DM, operated by Nelson Christopher H, was involved in an accident near Payette, Idaho, 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

13 October 2021 at 16:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Payette, Idaho, United States

Coordinates

44.0792, -116.9350

Aircraft

Avid MARK IV

Registration

N583DM

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Nelson Christopher H

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ontario → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR22LA014

Nobody was injured.

A total loss of engine power during cruise flight due to fuel starvation. Contributing to the accident was the lack of an outlet screen on the fuel system header tank.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The non-certificated pilot was conducting a local flight in an experimental airplane and during cruise flight about 1,000 ft above ground level, the engine began to intermittently lose power. He activated the fuel pump and shortly thereafter the engine shut down. The pilot maneuvered the airplane to land in a cultivated field. The airplane was substantially damaged when it nosed over during the landing roll. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the airplane’s header tank did not have an outlet screen installed and the fuel selector valve contained a large quantity of debris. It is likely the debris, from the fuel tank construction and/or repairs, entered the fuel selector valve from the header tank, resulting in fuel starvation to the engine and the subsequent loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.