Sling Aircraft (Pty) SLING LSA N519CV

Summary

On 22 December 2024 at about 23:45 local time, a Sling Aircraft (Pty) SLING LSA registered N519CV, operated by Sling Flying Club, was involved in an accident near Carson, California, United States. 2 people were 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

22 December 2024 at 23:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Carson, California, United States

Nearest airport

Compton-Woodley (CPM)

Coordinates

33.8545, -118.2694

Aircraft

Sling Aircraft (Pty) SLING LSA

Registration

N519CV

Category

Airplane

Year built

2022

Engines

1

Operator

Sling Flying Club

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Torrence → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR25LA069

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s decision to conduct a prolonged slip against warnings specified in the Pilot’s Operating Handbook which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that while about 3,000 ft mean sea level (msl), he slipped the airplane to descend 1,100 ft to get to the traffic pattern altitude. After leveling off, he saw the fuel pressure drop. He checked to make sure that both fuel pumps were on. Shortly after, the airplane lost all fuel pressure and engine RPM. After troubleshooting, he was unable to restore engine power, and initiated a forced landing to a golf course, where the airplane impacted trees and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and wings. The Pilot’s Operating Handbook for the airplane, stated in part “the fuel lift pipe in the fuel tank is situated adjacent to the lower inside wall of the tank. The aircraft should at no time be subjected to a sustained side slip towards a near empty fuel tank (i.e. -right wing down) as, despite the baffling, this may have the consequence that the fuel runs towards the outer edge of the tank exposing the fuel pipe to suck air, thereby starving the engine of fuel leading to engine failure. This poses a particular threat when at low altitude, typically prior to landing.” The pilot did not initially report that there was no mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation; however, upon reviewing the recorded flight data with his chief flight instructor, that included the bank angle indicator, slip/skid indicator, and fuel pressure, the pilot concluded that the loss of power was likely from the left fuel lift pipe becoming exposed, starving the engine of fuel.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.