Standish, ME, USA
N34BJ
BIRCHLER BOYD EAGLE 540
The pilot reported that he departed on a cross-country flight in the experimental, amateur-built airplane with each fuel tank (one main fuel tank, one fuselage auxiliary fuel tank, and one upper wing fuel tank) filled to capacity, for a total of 51 gallons of fuel onboard. About 1 hour 50 minutes into the flight, the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot's efforts to restart the engine were unsuccessful, so he maneuvered the airplane toward a road. During the landing, the pilot could not maintain the appropriate airspeed for a power-off landing, and the airplane subsequently impacted the ground hard, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and bottom wing. An examination of the accident site revealed that the fuel tanks had not been breached, and no visible signs of fuel and no fuel odor were observed. The fuel system was designed to plumb fuel from the upper wing tank directly into the main fuel tank through a drain valve; the engine was receiving fuel from the main fuel tank at the time of the engine power loss. During postaccident examination, both the main and the auxiliary fuselage fuel tanks were found void of fuel; the upper wing fuel tank was found almost full. The pilot reported that, at times, the upper wing fuel tank would drain slowly or not at all into the main fuel tank; however, postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no mechanical anomalies or malfunctions that could have precluded normal operation. According to performance data provided by the pilot, the main fuel tank should have had about 7 gallons of fuel remaining at the time of the loss of power without any supplemental fuel from the upper wing tank. The reason for the main fuel tank being devoid of fuel could not be determined.
On August 10, 2014, about 1730 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Eagle 540, N34BJ, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a total loss of engine power near Standish, Maine. The airline transport pilot sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight, which originated from Northern Aroostook Regional Airport (FVE), Frenchville, Maine about 1340, and was destined for Sanford Seacoast Regional Airport (SFM), Sanford, Maine. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to the pilot, he filled each fuel tank to capacity and departed for SFM. He climbed the airplane for about 8 minutes to an altitude of about 4,500 feet mean sea level and leveled off. About 1 hour and 42 minutes later and about 10 minutes to SFM, the airplane experienced a "complete engine failure." The pilot engaged the manual "wobble" fuel pump and adjusted the mixture and throttle controls, but the engine did not restart. He then maneuvered the airplane toward a suitable landing site on a nearby road and extended the landing flare distance to avoid oncoming vehicles. About 20 feet above the ground, the pilot observed that he was too slow for a normal power off landing. The airplane impacted the ground "extremely" hard and slid about 100 feet before departing the right side of the road and coming to rest in a ditch. The airplane was equipped with three fuel tanks: the main tank, which was located in the nose of the fuselage; an upper wing tank; and an auxiliary tank, which was located in the airplane's front seat. The engine was receiving fuel from the main fuel tank when the loss of power occurred. According to the pilot, the draining mechanism from the upper wing tank to the main tank was very sporadic; "sometimes it would drain really slow, and sometime it didn't seem to drain at all." The pilot and the refueling station provided separate statements and both remarked that the airplane's tanks were topped off prior to departure. The pilot also noted that he used a fuel totalizer to track his fuel consumption during flight. The aerobatic registered airplane was assembled in 2007 and was equipped with an AIO-540-C4B5, 290 horsepower, reciprocating engine. The airplane's most recent conditional inspection was completed on April 2, 2014 at a total time of 155 hours and the engine's most recent 100 hour inspection was completed on September 13, 2013 at a total time of 138 hours. The engine was purchased by the builder in 2007 and subsequently installed in the accident airplane. The fuel system was designed to plumb fuel from the upper wing tank directly into the main fuel tank through a drain valve. According to a diagram provided by the pilot, the main tank fuel line and auxiliary tank fuel lines converged at a wobble pump/fuel selector that routed the fuel directly into the engine driven fuel pump. The total capacity of the main fuel tank was 27 gallons; the upper tank was 10 gallons; and the fuselage tank was 14 gallons. Both the upper tank and main fuel tanks were equipped with fuel tank vents. Examination of the airplane at the accident site by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed substantial damage to the fuselage and bottom wing. Visual inspection of the upper wing tank revealed that the tank was nearly full. During the wreckage recovery process, fuel was observed draining from underneath the fuselage intermittently for about 10 minutes at which time the fuel vent line was folded over and crimped. The inspector then observed that the upper tank fuel level had decreased to about three-fourths full. He also verified that the main tank and auxiliary tank were empty and that the fuel injector flow divider was void of fuel. A subsequent examination was conducted by an airframe and powerplant mechanic under the supervision of an FAA inspector. Due to safety concerns, the airplane hull could not be inspected for fuel staining. The fuel selector showed that both the upper wing tank and main tank were in the on position. The main fuel tank was pressurized and several sections of the fuel lines to the fuel selector were tested and no restrictions were noted. The wobble pump and fuel selector were comprised of one unit that was tested for air flow and no anomalies were observed. Air pressure was run through the upper wing tank and into the main tank through the drain valve and air could be heard exiting the tank through the vent fitting. The main tank fuel pickup flop tube had no rigidity issues and the weight returned the tube to the bottom of the tank. The FAA inspected the spark plugs and noted no anomalies. A spark was produced by the No. 1 top spark plug, which indicated that at least one magneto was functioning properly. The fuel pump, fuel servo, and flow divider were also tested at a later date and no anomalies were noted. The pilot held an airline transport certificate with a rating for airplane multiengine land. He also held a flight instructor certificate with ratings for airplane multiengine and instrument airplane. He reported 10,600 hours of flight experience, of which 135 were in the accident airplane make and model. His most recent FAA second class medical certificate was issued in March 2014. According to airplane performance data provided by the pilot, the airplane burned about 15 gallons per hour during cruise flight and 20 gallons per hour during climb. Given the 20 gallon per hour consumption rate during the 8 minute climb and subsequent consumption rate of 15 gallons per hour during cruise flight, about 7 gallons of fuel would have remained in the main fuel tank at the time of the loss of power.
The total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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