NTSB Identification: ERA13LA119
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, January 27, 2013 in Palmetto, FL
Aircraft: SHOEMAKER JAMES B KR-2, registration: N27CE
Injuries: 1 Serious.
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 January 27, 2013, about 0930 eastern standard time, an experimental, amateur-built, Shoemaker KR-2, N27CE, registered to and operated by a private individual, was substantially damaged during a forced landing in a field near Palmetto, Florida, shortly after takeoff from Airport Manatee (48X). Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal, local flight from 48X. The private rated pilot, the sole occupant, sustained serious injuries. The flight originated about 1 minute earlier from 48X.
The pilot stated that before departure he added 5 gallons of fuel from a container to the aircraft’s 16 gallon fuel tank which nearly filled it bringing the total amount of fuel in the tank to between 14 and 15 gallons. He further reported that it is his practice to always fill the fuel tank before departure, and he typically flies 1 hour. He started the engine and taxied to runway 07, where he performed an engine run-up before takeoff. No discrepancies were reported and he checked the gauges before takeoff and everything was satisfactory.
He applied full throttle and noted the rpm was 3,300 (typical rpm for full throttle though maximum red line rpm is 3,600). He accelerated to 60 miles-per-hour (mph) and rotated, then while flying just above the runway surface accelerated to 80 mph and then began to climb. When the flight was between 300 and 400 feet in a climb attitude, the engine quit suddenly and the propeller stopped; there was no vibration. He pushed the nose forward to maintain airspeed and avoid stalling the airplane and maneuvered the airplane for a forced landing in a field. Before touchdown he maneuvered to avoid a cow ahead and impacted the ground in a right wing low attitude. He stated that the ground was soggy and lumpy, and it is likely that the outcome would have been the same because of the ground condition if he had not had to maneuver to avoid the cow. He stated that he was wearing the seatbelt and shoulder harness and did not recall his speed at touchdown. He was taken to a hospital for treatment of his injuries and remained hospitalized for 5 to 6 days.
Inspection of the accident site by an FAA inspector-in-charge (FAA-IIC) about 2 hours after the accident revealed the fuel tank and engine were separated. The FAA inspector also reported that neither he nor first responders noted evidence of fuel spillage or the smell of fuel. Approximately 2 ounces fuel were recovered from the separated aluminum fuel tank. The first responder who moved the aircraft’s fuel tank away from the wreckage reported to the FAA inspector that it did not appear to contain any fuel. The wreckage was recovered for further examination.
Two days after the accident the FAA-IIC interviewed the pilot while hospitalized and the pilot informed him that the engine quit during climb out at 300 feet. The FAA-IIC asked the pilot about the maintenance records and record of the last condition inspection and was advised he did not know the whereabouts of them and did not conduct annual condition inspections in accordance with the aircraft operating limitations. The pilot also stated that he did not comply with the Flight Review requirements of 14 CFR Part 61.56, and he used 1 of 2 five-gallon containers in his hangar to fuel the airplane.
Following the interview the FAA inspector went back to the pilot’s hangar and observed 2 five-gallon containers. One container was full of fuel and the other was “’bone’ dry.”
Inspection of the engine was performed following recovery of the airplane by an FAA airworthiness inspector. The inspector noted that the propeller blades were broken off at the propeller hub. The carburetor was removed and disassembled which revealed no fuel remaining inside. The fuel strainer bowl was removed and about 1 cc of fuel was noted; moderate contamination was also noted. The fuel supply line from the fuel tank was torn off about 6 inches aft of the engine firewall consistent with fuel tank separation from the airplane. Rotation of the remaining portion of the propeller by hand revealed power train continuity. The inspector also noted that visual inspection of the engine revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction.
NTSB Identification: ERA13LA119
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, January 27, 2013 in Palmetto, FL
Aircraft: SHOEMAKER JAMES B KR-2, registration: N27CE
Injuries: 1 Serious.
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 January 27, 2013, about 0945 eastern standard time, an experimental, amateur-built, Shoemaker KR-2, N27CE, registered to and operated by a private individual, was substantially damaged during a forced landing in a field near Palmetto, Florida, shortly after takeoff from Airport Manatee (48X). Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal, local flight from 48X. The private rated pilot, the sole occupant, sustained serious injuries. The flight originated about 1 minute earlier from 48X.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector-in-charge (IIC), the pilot reported a loss of engine power after takeoff when the flight was at about 300 feet in the air. The pilot turned as if to return, but landed in a cow pasture north of the airport. After touchdown the airplane cartwheeled and came to rest with the engine and fuel tank separated but in close proximity to the resting point of the main wreckage.
Postaccident inspection of the airplane by the FAA-IIC revealed the separated fuel tank only had 2 ounces of fuel remaining. First responders did not report any noticeable fuel leakage and the first responder who moved the fuel tank reported to the FAA-IIC that no fuel was noted in the fuel tank when it was moved away from the wreckage. The wreckage was recovered for further examination.
The crash of an experimental aircraft early Sunday on the Manatee-Hillsborough county line was the fourth in this area in less than a month.
Plane went down in a cow pasture off U.S. 41 near the Hillsborough and Manatee counties border Sunday morning. TAMPA -- Federal aviation authorities are on the scene of a small plane crash in south Hillsborough County.
A sheriff's office statement said the plane is a small experimental ultra-lite fixed wing. It crashed some time before 9:30 a.m. Sunday in a cow pasture located at 6528 U.S. 41, near the Hillsborough and Manatee counties line.
The pilot, 82-year-old Eugene Massa, reported that after reaching 300 feet, the plane began to have engine problems and went down in a cow pasture. He had taken off from Manatee Airport in Bradenton.
Friends of Eugene Massa tell us he had recently talked about giving up flying and they tell us this latest incident may be enough for him to give up a hobby he’s had for more than 30 years.
“We went over and the plane is kinda rolled up in a ball over there and he was talking and we don't know what happened,” said Massa's friend and fellow pilot, Atlee Raber.
He says everyone from the Manatee airfield saw Massa’s plane take off Sunday morning, but they got worried when his plane disappeared behind the wooded area.
“A bunch of us guys we were everywhere and two of the people took off and went off and spotted it with a spotter plane,” Raber said.
Luckily Massa is expected to survive. We’re told he had surgery on his legs after the crash. And he’s expected to make a full recovery.
Raber says he took pictures of the aircraft after his friend was taken out of the plane, to the hospital. He knows the aftermath could have been much worse if the wreckage had caught fire.
He says that just shows what a great pilot Massa is.
“It was probably something with engine trouble. Couldn’t get it back to the airport and he put it where, basically off field landing,” he said.
The pilot was taken to a Blake Hospital in Manatee County. He was the only person on the plane at the time. The FAA is investigating the crash.
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HILLSBOROUGH COUNY, Fla. - Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies are on the scene of a small, experimental plane crash in southern Hillsborough county near the Manatee/Hillsborough county line near US 41. The plane went down in a cow pasture on private property about 500 feet from the road.
Investigators say the plane was piloted by 83 year old Eugene Massa of Bradenton. The plane is being described as an experimental ultralight. At approximately 9:30 this morning the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office was notified by Manatee County that a small plane that had left from Manatee Airport had possibly gone down. The plane had just left the airport and according to the pilot and the tower, when the plane reached 300 feet, it began to have engine problems.
A search of the area lead to the discovery of the plane in a cow pasture located at 6528 Highway 41, which is just before Manatee County. The crash occurred on private property and is located about 500 feet off of Highway 41. The pilot was alert and talking when he was airlifted to Blake Hospital in Manatee County.
The remainder of the investigation will be conducted by FAA.
The pilot was the only occupant of the plane.
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