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NTSB Identification: WPR12LA394
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, August 30, 2012 in Healdsburg, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 07/23/2013
Aircraft: BELLANCA 14-19-3, registration: N1299R
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot reported that during cruise flight, the engine lost power, and he performed the emergency procedures; however, the engine would not restart. The pilot then performed a forced landing to an open field. During the landing roll, the nose gear collapsed. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the fuel pump would not pump fuel when the driveshaft was actuated. Further, during testing, the fuel pump did not produce adequate pressure without the test bench priming pump in operation. The fuel pump was removed and disassembled, and unidentified pliable debris was found in the vapor return jet. The debris was removed from the vapor return jet, and the fuel pump was reassembled. Following reinstallation on the test bench, the fuel pump was found to operate and produced pressure in excess of the manufacturer specifications. It is likely that the debris restricted the fuel flow and the engine subsequently lost power. Due to the compromise of the fuel system during the accident, the source of the debris could not be determined.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The loss of engine power during cruise flight due to the failure of the engine-driven fuel pump as a result of unidentified debris within the vapor return jet.
On August 30, 2012, about 1200 Pacific daylight time, a Bellanca 14-19-3, N1299R, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Healdsburg, California. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The commercial pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight. The local flight originated from Santa Rosa, California at about 1130.
In a written statement to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge, the pilot reported that during cruise flight, the engine lost power. The pilot performed emergency procedures, however, the engine would not restart, and he initiated a forced landing to an open field. During the landing roll, the nose gear collapsed.
Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the right wing sustained substantial damage. The inspector noted that the throttle and mixture controls were full forward, the magnetos and battery were in the off position, flaps up, and the landing gear handle was in the “down” position. The inspector further noted that the fuel selector valve was in the left main position and the fuel pump was in the off position. The inspector stated that when he asked the pilot if the fuel boost pump was used following the loss of engine power, the pilot replied that he could not remember.
The FAA inspector examined the airplane in a hangar once it was recovered from the field. Rotational continuity was established throughout the engine and valve train. Fuel was observed throughout the fuel system. Both the left and right magnetos produced spark when rotated by hand. The inspector removed the engine driven fuel pump and connected a hand drill to the drive shaft, with a fuel inlet line submerged within a container of fuel. When the drill was actuated, no fuel expelled from the fuel pump outlet. The fuel pump was retained for further examination.
Examination of the fuel pump at the facilities of Continental Motor’s Inc., Mobile, Alabama, under the supervision of an NTSB investigator revealed that the drive coupling and drive shaft were severely worn. Manual manipulation of the fuel pump drive coupling while installed in the drive shaft resulted in free rotation with no binding and no internal resistance noted.
The fuel pump was placed on the test bench and run through a variety of RPM/Fuel Flow/Fuel Pressure tests. The fuel pump did not produce pressure without the test bench priming pump in operation. Fluid originally poured from the vapor return line during original bench test, but then turned sporadic, before stopping completely. The fuel pump was removed from the test bench and disassembled; pliable debris was observed on the vapor return jet. The debris was removed and the jet was cleaned. The fuel pump was again placed on the test bench and ran through the same tests. The pump produced adequate pressure, but then displayed the same characteristics as it did during the first test.
The vapor return jet was removed from the fuel pump while the pump was installed on the test bench. Additional debris was found on the jet orifices. The vapor return jet was cleaned and the pump was run on the test bench without the vapor return jet installed to flush out any additional debris. After a few minutes of flushing the fuel pump, the vapor return jet was reinstalled and the pump was run through the entire set of RPM/Fuel Flow/Fuel Pressure tests. With the debris removed, the pump provided pressures in excess of that required by specifications.
The source of the debris was not identified. The airplane maintenance records were not obtained during the investigation.
NTSB Identification: WPR12LA394
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, August 30, 2012 in Healdsburg, CA
Aircraft: BELLANCA 14-19-3, registration: N1299R
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On August 30, 2012, about 1200 Pacific daylight time, a Bellanca 14-19-3, N1299R, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Healdsburg, California. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The commercial pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight. The local flight originated from Santa Rosa, California about 1130.
The pilot reported that during cruise flight, he noticed a loss of fuel pressure followed by a loss of engine power shortly after. Despite the pilot’s attempts, the engine would not restart and he initiated a forced landing to an open field. Subsequently, the airplane landed gear up and came to rest upright.
Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the right wing sustained substantial damage. The wreckage was recovered to a secure location for further examination.
FAA IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 1299R Make/Model: BL17 Description: 17 Viking, Super Viking, Turbo Viking
Date: 08/30/2012 Time: 1910
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Minor Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Substantial
LOCATION
City: HEALDSBURG State: CA Country: US
DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT LANDED IN A FIELD DUE TO ENGINE PROBLEMS.
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 1 Unk:
# Pass: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
OTHER DATA
FAA FSDO: OAKLAND, CA (WP27) Entry date: 08/31/2012
The passenger of a small plane wipes his brow as he talks on the phone as the pilot gives information to the Sonoma County Sheriff after the single-engine plane they were flying lost power and made an emergency landing in a field outside Healdsburg on Thursday, August 30, 2012.
A single-engine plane made an emergency landing in a field outside Healdsburg on Thursday, August 30, 2012.
A single-engine plane made an emergency landing in a field outside Healdsburg on Thursday, August 30, 2012.
A plane lost power and made an emergency landing Thursday in a field outside Healdsburg, coasting under a series of power lines before crash-landing at about 90 mph.
A passenger, Nicholas Counter of Fulton, said the aircraft's engine failed shortly before noon. The plane hit the ground forcefully, hopscotching around the field off West Dry Creek Road, hitting a tree with its wing and swinging wildly until it came to a stop.
The pilot, who was not identified, struck the dashboard with his face, causing a severe nosebleed, firefighters said. Both men declined medical help.
Counter declined to identify the pilot, who owned the plane and was his friend and instructor.
The landing gear and the underside of the plane were badly damaged in the crash-landing, Counter said.
"I was fine, just a little shaken," he said. "I'm glad I'm alive."
Plane makes emergency landing in field near Healdsburg
At the scene outside Healdsburg on Thursday, August 30, 2012.
A small plane lost power and made an emergency landing in a field outside Healdsburg on Thursday afternoon.
Two people were inside the plane, which set down around noon in a small open field on the east side of West Dry Creek Road, just north of Westside Road. Both declined medical treatment.
Healdsburg Fire Chief Steve Adams said the owner if the plane and a passenger lost power outside Healdsburg, coasting to the field under a power line. The pilot suffered a bloody nose.
Crews from Cal Fire, the Healdsburg Fire Department and Sonoma County Sheriff's Office were at the scene, waiting for National Transportation Safety Board to investigate.
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HEALDSBURG (CBS SF) – A small plane lost power and landed in a field outside Healdsburg around noon Thursday, Healdsburg Fire Chief Steve Adams said.
The two-person plane glided onto a field between two vineyards near the 400 block of West Dry Creek Road, a half-mile north of Westside Road, Adams said.
Two men were on board, and the pilot suffered a bloody nose, Adams said.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the single-engine Bellanca plane was heading to the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport when it made the landing seven miles northwest of the airport because of engine problems.
The pilot was slightly injured, and the passenger was not hurt, Gregor said. The plane sustained minor damage.
According to the FAA registry, the plane, manufactured in 1968, is registered to Gerald W. Vess, of Livingston, in Polk County, Texas.
Cal Fire and the Windsor Fire Protection District also responded to the emergency landing, Adams said.
The FAA is investigating the incident.
same thing happened when I owned that plane, that is, the fuel pump stopped working....around 1996. I miss that plane.
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