KASILOF, AK, USA
N1930A
PIPER PA-18
The certificated private pilot was departing a private 2,000 feet long grass airstrip. Before departure, the pilot selected the left fuel tank. During the initial climb, the engine suddenly quit about 100 feet in the air. The pilot selected an emergency landing area, and the airplane collided with several trees during the landing. The pilot indicated that the remanufactured engine that he installed had accured 25 hours. The airplane had been rebuilt by the pilot, who was not a certificated airframe or powerplant mechanic. The pilot did not possess any airworthiness documentation for the airplane. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed a kink in the fuel line from the left fuel tank. The fuel line from the fuel strainer to the carburetor was 1/4 inch in diameter. The standard size was 3/8 inch. The fuel caps on each tank were required to have a 3/8 inch vent line. The installed caps had a 1/4 inch vent.
On April 28, 1996, about 1500 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Piper PA-18, N1930A, collided with trees during a forced landing, about 5 miles northwest of Kasilof, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules cross-country personal flight when the accident occurred. The airplane, operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The certificated private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. In a telephone interview with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), the pilot reported that he departed a private 2,000 feet long grass airstrip known as Doyle's strip. Prior to departure, the pilot selected the left fuel tank. During the initial climb, the engine suddenly quit about 100 feet in the air. The pilot selected an emergency landing area and collided with several trees during the landing. The airplane received damage to the wings, fuselage, and propeller. The pilot indicated that the remanufactured engine that he installed had accrued 25 hours. The airplane was examined by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector from the Anchorage, Alaska, Flight Standards District Office (FSDO). The inspector reported that the airplane had been rebuilt by the pilot who is not a certificated airframe or powerplant mechanic. The pilot did not posses any airworthiness documentation for the airplane. The postaccident examination of the airplane revealed a kink in the fuel line from the left fuel tank. The fuel line from the fuel strainer to the carburetor was 1/4 inch in diameter. The standard size is 3/8 inch. The fuel caps on each tank are required to have a 3/8 inch vent line. The installed caps had a 1/4 inch vent.
fuel starvation due to a kinked fuel supply line from the left main tank, and the pilot's improper rebuild/remanufacture of the airplane. A smaller than standard fuel line from the fuel strainer to the carburetor, a smaller than standard fuel cap vent, and a lack of mechanic certification were factors in the accident.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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