Brewer, ME, USA
N9267E
Aeronca 11AC
The pilot stated that during preflight, he saw fuel in both the forward and aft fuel tanks. He hand-propped the engine, and after startup, conducted two engine runups, then took off. During the climb, between 150 feet and 200 feet of altitude, the engine and propeller stopped running. The pilot attempted to slip the airplane back onto the grass runway; however, it stalled, then impacted the ground and spun around, about 180 degrees. The fuel system was not compromised. The forward fuel tank was empty, and the aft fuel tank contained an unknown quantity of fuel. Small amounts of fuel were also found in the gascolator and carburetor. During climbs, fuel could only be drawn from the forward tank.
On May 6, 2001, at 1345 Eastern Daylight Time, an Aeronca 11AC, N9267E, was substantially damaged during a forced landing, shortly after takeoff from Brewer Airport (0B2), Brewer, Maine. The certificated private pilot received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan had been filed for the local personal flight, which was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. In a statement, the pilot wrote that he conducted a preflight inspection of the outside of the airplane, and that he had "onboard fuel approx 2.5 hours." The pilot hand-propped the engine, and after startup, conducted two engine runups. He then took off from Runway 01. During the climb, between 150 feet and 200 feet of altitude, the engine and propeller stopped running, so the pilot force landed to the right of the runway. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the pilot reported that just after takeoff, when the airplane was climbing through 200 feet, the engine quit, then sputtered, then quit again. The pilot attempted to slip the airplane back onto the grass runway; however, it stalled, then impacted the ground, and spun around about 180 degrees. On-scene examination of the airplane by the inspector revealed that the fuel system had not been compromised. The forward fuel tank was empty, and an aft-mounted fuel tank, which was used for level flight only, contained an unknown quantity of fuel. The inspector drained about 2 ounces of fuel from the gascolator. Nine days after the accident, the airplane was again examined, in a salvage yard. At that time, the gascolator contained about a tablespoon of fuel and numerous rust particles. The fuel line from the gascolator to the carburetor contained no fuel. The carburetor was split open, and contained 2 to 4 ounces of fuel. The forward fuel tank was empty, and the fuel cap was rusted. The rear fuel tank still contained fuel, but the quantity could not be verified. The pilot stated to another FAA inspector that he had added fuel to the rear tank 4 days earlier, and while on a 2 1/2 hour flight, had transferred fuel to the front tank. Two days before the accident, he made another flight of 1/2 hour. The pilot was adamant that before the accident flight, he looked in both fuel tanks, and saw fuel in both. The pilot held a private pilot certificate, and was rated in single engine land airplanes. He was certificated on March 31, 2001, and had 146 hours of flight time.
The pilot's inadequate preflight preparation, which resulted in insufficient fuel in the forward tank and loss of engine power during the climb. Also causal, was the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed after the engine failure, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and impact with the ground.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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