Jasper, GA, USA
N430JV
Hagerty Glasair Super IIS-TD
The pilot reported that during the climb, about 4,500 ft mean sea level, the engine began to run rough, and shortly thereafter lost all power. The pilot immediately turned back toward the departure airport, which was about 5 miles from his position. He began troubleshooting the loss of power, but power was not restored. The pilot was able to glide to the airport; however, in a right turn to align with the runway, the pilot felt the onset of an aerodynamic stall. He leveled the wings, the airplane overshot the runway, descended abruptly, and impacted a grass area hard next to the runway. The left wing and fuselage sustained substantial damage. A postaccident test run of the engine revealed it produced normal power with the electric fuel pump on, but would not operate with only the engine-driven fuel pump. Further examination and disassembly of the engine-driven fuel pump revealed no anomalies that would have explained its inability to pump fuel. The pilot reported that in the climb he turned off the electric fuel pump and, after the loss of power, he did not turn the pump back on, despite the owner’s manual instructing pilots to use the electric fuel pump following a loss of engine power. Had the pilot turned the electric fuel pump on, power likely would have been restored.
On November 4, 2022, about 1500 eastern standard time, an experimental amateur-built Glasair Super IIS-TD airplane, N430JV, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at the Pickens County Airport (JZP), Jasper, Georgia. The private pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated by the pilot as a personal flight conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot reported that the takeoff and climb from runway 16 at JZP was normal and he proceeded eastbound toward his destination. As the airplane approached 5 nautical miles from JZP, about 4,500 ft mean sea level, the engine began to run rough and shortly thereafter lost all power. The pilot immediately turned back toward JZP and began troubleshooting the loss of power by applying full rich mixture and cycling the electric ignition. The engine power was not restored, but the propeller did continue to windmill. The pilot made it back to JZP; however, in a right turn to align with runway 34, about 30 ft above ground level, he felt the onset of an aerodynamic stall. He leveled the wings, the airplane overshot the runway, descended abruptly, and impacted a grass area hard next to the runway. The left wing and fuselage sustained substantial damage. When the airplane was recovered from the accident site, a total of 13 gallons was drained from the airplane. Examination of the engine and testing revealed that the engine produced normal power with the electric fuel pump on. The engine could not be started with the electric fuel pump turned off. Further examination of the engine-driven fuel pump found that no fuel would exit the pump while the engine was turned over several times. The pump was further disassembled. It was found without contaminants and internal continuity from the drive arm to the diaphragms was confirmed. All rubber diaphragms were undamaged, and no punctures were noted. The pilot reported that the electric fuel pump was turned off about 1,000 ft agl in the climb and was not turned back on for the remainder of the flight. According to the airplane’s owner manual, during an engine failure the pilot should “check for adequate fuel pressure and switch on the electrical fuel pump” in addition to several other troubleshooting tasks. Review of maintenance records found that the airplane and engine were endorsed for an annual inspection on November 17, 2021. The engine during this inspection was removed for a propeller strike, and the propeller was replaced. The airplane had accumulated 160 hours since this inspection.
The loss of engine power due to the failure of the engine-driven fuel pump and the pilot’s failure to use the electric fuel pump, which resulted in a forced, hard landing.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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