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: Engine Failure
After the owner was given permission by the NTSB to remove the airplane from the roadway, the wings
were removed for transport, and the airplane was transported to N37, where the wreckage was examined by an FAA inspector. Since the wings had been removed to transport the airplane, the inspector could not check the remaining fuel quantity. However, the chief pilot of Skydive Lancaster, which used the
airplane for its skydiving (parachuting) operation, advised the FAA that when he was on-scene during
the wing removal, that 5 to 6 total gallons of fuel was removed from the left wing fuel tank, and that the
right wing fuel tank was empty. The FAA inspector also received a statement from the mechanic who
had removed the wings for transport, where he stated that he estimated 4 to 5 gallons were removed
from the left wing, and the right tank was dry. A visual examination of both wings by the FAA
inspector, also revealed the left wing fuel tank feed hose displayed dampness, and there was visible
staining consistent with the blue dye used in 100LL aviation gasoline around the area where the wing
was de-mated for transport. The right wing hose however was dry, and no staining was present.
“According to the pilot, he started carrying skydivers several days before the accident after familiarizing himself with the airport and airplane. The accident occurred on the fourth flight of the day. Around 2,000 ft during the initial climb, the airplane experienced a radio failure and the pilot noted a slight change in engine sound. He consulted with one of the tandem skydivers and continued to climb to 7,500 ft to allow the two pairs of skydivers to jump, which he felt was the safest course of action.”
The commercial pilot reported that he had been conducting skydiving support flights on the day of the
accident. Before his first flight, the airplane had about 23 gallons of fuel onboard. He flew the airplane
for about 4.0 hours and then added about 18 gallons of fuel to the airplane. He flew three more local
flights and then made a second fuel stop and added 14 gallons of fuel to the airplane. The pilot did not
conduct fuel consumption checks to estimate the engine’s fuel consumption rate nor did he check the
total fuel quantity in the tanks after the first and second refuelings. After making two more local flights
and while on final approach to the airport, the engine lost total power, and the pilot conducted a forced
landing to a residential area, during which the right elevator and right wing sustained substantial
damage.
Before taking off for the skydiving flight with four passengers, the commercial pilot refueled the airplane. Shortly
after the airplane rotated, the passengers told the pilot that fuel was leaking from the left wing. The pilot
believed that the leak was an immediate fire risk, so he decided to perform an off-airport landing. The pilot
abruptly lowered the airplane’s nose and landed in a field. The airplane impacted terrain in a left-wing-low
attitude and then hit a berm. The engine and right main landing gear separated during the impact sequence, and
the left and right wings sustained substantial damage.
The commercial pilot was on the second leg of a postmaintenance flight. The first flight leg, which was
about 1-hour long, was uneventful, and the pilot reported that the fuel selector was positioned to the
right tank during this flight leg. He landed the airplane but did not purchase fuel before departing for the
return leg. The pilot reported that, during the return leg, the fuel selector was positioned to the left tank.
While on final approach to the airport, the pilot added power to go around. He turned onto the crosswind
and then downwind legs of the airport traffic pattern, and while on the downwind leg, the engine lost all
power. The pilot switched the fuel selector to the right tank, but engine power was not restored.
Realizing that the airplane would be unable to reach the runway, the pilot conducted a forced landing in
trees, and the airplane came to rest inverted.
The private pilot was landing the airplane at the conclusion of a cross-country flight when the engine
experienced a total loss of power in the airport traffic pattern. The pilot attempted to restart the engine
without success and subsequently landed the airplane in a field, where it impacted a fence and irrigation
equipment. The pilot stated the right fuel tank was selected at the time of the accident. Postaccident
examination revealed that the right tank contained 14 to 15 gallons of fuel, and that the left fuel tank
contained about 1 gallon of fuel. The fuel selector was in the right tank position. The engine functioned
normally during a postaccident test run. Given the lack of engine anomalies, it is likely that the airplane
was operating on the left tank at the time of the accident, and the loss of engine power was the result of
fuel starvation; it is likely that the pilot moved the fuel selector to the right tank position during his
attempt to restart the engine.
The commercial pilot reported that, after dropping off skydivers, he made a rapid spiraling descent back
to the airport. The pilot added that, because the wind had changed such that it resulted in a tailwind, he
initiated a go-around during the landing approach; however, when he advanced the throttle, the engine
initially surged and then lost power. The pilot made a forced landing in a corn field near the end of the
runway.
The commercial pilot reported that, after takeoff on the local skydiving flight, the engine experienced a
total loss of power. He initiated a turn toward the airport, but realized the airplane would not reach the
runway and chose to perform a forced landing to an open field. During the landing roll, the airplane
exited the field, crossed a road, impacted a truck, and continued into a vineyard, where it nosed over.
On July 19, 2015, about 1515 universal coordinated time, a Cessna 206G, HC-CLR, was destroyed by collision with terrain during a forced landing following a loss of engine power during descent to Edmund Carvajal Airport (XMS), Macas, Santiago, Ecuador.
The pilot reported that the accident flight was his second skydiving flight of the morning and that the
airplane was performing “normally” as it had during the first flight. During climbout, he noted that the
engine cylinder head temperatures were in the “normal” range. When the airplane reached about 4,000 ft
mean sea level, the engine experienced a total loss of power, and, about 1 minute later, the propeller
stopped windmilling. The pilot conducted an off-airport landing to a nearby highway. During the
landing roll, and to avoid impacting vehicles on the highway, the pilot guided the airplane onto the
median, and the wings and horizontal stabilizer impacted several road signs, which resulted in
substantial damage to the airplane.
The commercial pilot reported that he maneuvered back toward the airport to land after dropping
skydivers. During the approach for landing, about 1,000 ft above the airport, the engine experienced a
total loss of power. The pilot was unable to restart the engine and subsequently initiated a forced landing
to the desert floor.
The airplane sustained substantial damage on impact with trees and terrain during a forced landing to a field following an in-flight loss of engine power. Skydivers had been dropped prior to the loss of engine power and the pilot reported no injuries. The pilot stated, “I climbed to 11000 [feet.] Was not getting usual climb rate. Before decent found I could not close cowl flaps. Decended to 6000 feet. Noticed eratic raise on manifold gage.
AFTER FUELING THE AIRCRAFT, THE PILOT OBSERVED ‘A LOT’ OF WATER IN THE FUEL, WHEN CHECKING THE SUMPS. HE SHOOK THE WINGS, AND AGAIN OBSERVED WATER. HE ALLOWED THE AIRCRAFT TO SIT FOR ABOUT AN HOUR, THEN HE CHECKED THE SUMPS AGAIN. HE DRAINED WATER UNTIL NO MORE WATER WAS OBSERVED. AT ABOUT 200 FEET AGL, DURING THE INITIAL CLIMB, THE ENGINE QUIT.