Protech PT2 N44048

Summary

On 25 April 2023 at about 00:00 local time, a Protech PT2 registered N44048 was involved in an accident near Columbia, Mississippi, 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

25 April 2023 at 00:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Columbia, Mississippi, United States

Coordinates

31.1030, -89.7784

Aircraft

Protech PT2

Registration

N44048

Category

Airplane

Year built

1998

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN23LA166

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s lack of proper maintenance, which allowed the fuel filters to become obstructed, leading to fuel starvation and a subsequent engine power loss.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot, who was the airpane owner and builder, reported that while flying at about 1,000 ft above the ground, the airplane’s engine lost power and that attempts to restart it were not successful. He stated that there was a clearing farther along his flight path, but he did not have enough altitude to reach the clearing and elected to land on a gravel road. During the landing approach he saw a powerline and maneuvered to avoid it but struck a pine tree. The airplane came to rest in a nose-down attitude among the trees and sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. Examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies with regard to the engine; however, it was found that the in-line fuel filters installed in the fuel lines from the airplane’s wing mounted fuel tanks were obstructed. The pilot stated that he did not know when the fuel filters were last checked or changed and that they may have been on the airplane for about 20 years. The recorded temperature and dew point at the time of the accident were in the range for serious carburetor icing at glide power. Based on the available evidence the reason for the loss of engine power was likely due to the lack of periodic maintenance or replacement of the fuel filters, which allowed them to become obstructed and led to fuel starvation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.