In a telephone conversation with a National Transportation Safety Board aviation accident investigator,
the pilot reported that while on the left downwind to land on runway 21, he was cleared to land and
started to configure the airplane. He opened the cowl flaps, fuel mixture was full rich, and the propeller
was full forward. The pilot stated that it was when he was abeam the approach end of the runway that a
total loss of engine power occurred. He switched fuel tanks from right to left and turned on the electric
fuel pump, attempted to restart the engine, but to no avail. Concerned that he would not make the
runway, he elected to land on a highway, which is adjacent to the east of the airport. During the landing
roll the right wing impacted a pole, which resulted in the airplane nosing over and coming to rest
inverted. The pilot also mentioned that two trips prior to the accident flight, he added 29 gallons of fuel.
Subsequent to having egressed the airplane, he observed fuel leaking from both tanks.
Category: C-206 Turbo-Charged
The private pilot reported that the accident flight was the second skydiving drop flight of the day. The
takeoff and initial climb were normal; however, between 900 and 1,000 ft above ground level, the
engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot executed a forced landing to a field, resulting in
substantial damage to the airplane. About 5 gallons of fuel was removed from the airplane at the
accident site before transport. During a detailed examination, flight control cable continuity was
established from the cockpit to all control surfaces. The fuel selector valve was found between the right
tank and off position. The valve functioned normally when rotated by hand. Although the fuel selector
valve was found in between the “off” and right tank positions after the accident, it could not be
determined if the valve was in that position during the flight. The fuel strainer showed a small amount of
fuel present. The fuel was tested and the results were negative for water. There was a significant amount
of debris observed in the fuel strainer and the strainer bowl. The debris was consistent with caulking and
rust particles. The airplane had usable fuel onboard during the accident flight and the engine ran
smoothly during the day’s previous flight. Whether the debris found in the fuel filter bowl contributed to
the loss of power could not be determined.
The airplane experienced a total loss of engine power during a skydiving flight. After the pilot switched
the fuel tank selector from the left fuel tank to the right fuel tank position, the engine restarted. The pilot
continued the flight. While returning to the departure airport and preparing for landing, the pilot
switched the fuel tank selector back to the left fuel tank position because the fuel gauge indicated a
greater fuel quantity. About 1 minute later, the engine quit. The pilot landed the airplane left of the
intended runway, about 200 feet from its end, and the airplane flipped over and pivoted on its nose.
Examination of the airplane revealed that the left fuel tank vent system was obstructed with an unknown
substance. It is likely that the obstruction prevented fuel flow to the engine and resulted in a total loss of
engine power.
The pilot of a Piper L-4 airplane reported that shortly after he started the taxi roll from the parking area, he initiated a shallow turn toward the taxiway. As he reached the taxiway he steered to follow the centerline, however, the airplane continued to turn to the right. He reported, in part, that the left brake inputs were not responsive and the airplane continued to the right and collided with a standing occupied Cessna.
The pilot was returning to the airport after releasing some skydivers. He was following a training airplane in the traffic pattern and was gaining on it, so he decided to extend his downwind leg. On final approach to runway 08, his airplane was still gaining on the other airplane. The pilot reduced power and raised the nose to reduce airspeed to 85 mph.
According to the pilot, she dropped her load of skydivers and was coming in for a landing. She “could see fog rolling in fast” and knew she “had to get…on the ground.” She “landed at a higher speed which is normally fine but because of the runway conditions, which were slick, [she] had minimal braking and ran out of runway.”
The pilot stated that while descending through 6,000 feet msl, the engine lost power. The pilot reported that when he enriched the mixture, the engine regained power. He stated that he left the mixture full rich; however, when the airplane was at 600 feet and turning to base, the engine lost power again.
A commercial plt was flying a group of parachutists for a skydiving club. The aircraft encountered turbulence during a climb to 4,500 feet agl. As the second jumper was exiting, the aircraft dropped and the parachutist struck the horizontal stabilizer. The outer four inches were bent downward and the assembly was pulled one inch from the fuselage. The plt made a normal landing and an inspection revealed some bulkhead damage in the tail section. The parachutist was not injured.
Both acft were operating in vfr conditions modified by slight haze, high overcast and low sun angle near airport. N6161m was performing lazy eight maneuvers in a normal practice area two miles east of airport; n8267q was in clockwise orbital descent for landing following a parachute jump plane. Radar data and witness informtion show that on east side of airport, n8267q deviated from orbit and proceeded southeast as n6161m completed north end of figure eight in right turn away from airport and proceeded south. Acft converged at about 30 degree closing angle with n6161m climbing and n8267q descending and collided at about 2500 ft agl.
The acft lost part of one blade of the propeller during the climb to cruise phase of operation. The passengers were skydivers so they used their parachutes in an exit of the acft as the airframe started to vibrate. The plt made a successful landing on the arpt without power. All the jumpers landed safety. Visual examination of the propeller showed that the blade had separated 10 to 12 inches outboard from the blade root. The fracture exhibited evidence typical of high cycle fatigue and overload stress.