Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board: http://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Docket And Docket Items - National Transportation Safety Board: http://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
Aviation Accident Data Summary - National Transportation Safety Board: http://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
http://registry.faa.gov/N355PT
NTSB Identification: ERA14LA059
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, December 02, 2013 in Trenton, SC
Probable Cause Approval Date: 10/19/2015
Aircraft: MOFFITT OSCAR/ KIT PROSTAR A/C PT2, registration: N355PT
Injuries: 1 Minor.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
According to the pilot, he was conducting a presale inspection of his experimental, amateur-built airplane. He ensured no debris was present in the gascolator and then conducted a test flight. During the test flight and while on final approach to land, the engine lost all power, and the pilot subsequently made a forced landing in a field. A postaccident examination of the gascolator revealed that the strainer bowl was not installed and safety wired in accordance with a service letter issued by the gascolator manufacturer. As a result, the gascolator strainer bowl became separated from the bail, which caused fuel starvation to the engine and total loss of engine power.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The airplane owner/pilot ‘s failure to follow the gascolator manufacturer’s recommendations for installing and safety wiring the gascolator strainer bowl, which resulted in the bowl separating and a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
On December 2, 2013, about 1530 eastern standard time, an experimental, amateur-built, Prostar PT2, N355PT, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain during a forced landing near Edgefield County Airport,Trenton, South Carolina. The private pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the private pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight. The flight departed from Twin Lakes Airport (S17), Graniteville, South Carolina at 1500.
According to the pilot, he was conducting an inspection of his airplane in preparation of selling it. During the inspection he noted that the main fuel tank lines were old and brittle. He replaced the main fuel tank lines and drained the fuel system. While draining the fuel system, he discovered debris within the gasculator. He continued to drain the fuel system until debris was no longer present within the gasculator. He then checked the system for leaks. No leaks were noted and the pilot conducted a test flight. During the test flight, while on final approach to land, the engine lost all power and the pilot conducted a forced landing in a field. During the descent the airplane struck a tree before coming to rest at the base of the tree.
A post-accident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed damage to both wings and the airframe. An examination of the engine conducted and valve train continuity and compression were observed on all cylinders. Further examination revealed that there was a hole in the number 1 cylinder valve cover. The cowling was against the valve cover and the screws were punctured through the valve cover. Examination of the ignition system revealed that the magnetos and leads were all intact. Due to external damage to the engine an engine run was not performed.
Examination of the intake system revealed no blockage in the air box or carburetor venturi. The carburetor drain plug was removed and no fuel was observed in the carburetor. The fuel selector was moved to the "on" position to take a fuel sample from the gasculator and fuel was noted running freely from the gasculator . The fuel inlet line at the carburetor was removed; air was blown through it and no blockage was noted. Further examination of the gascolator revealed that between the thumb wheel and the gascolator bowl there was supposed to be an inverted bell that applied pressure to the bottom of the bowl; it was missing. There was no observable impact damage to the gascolator. The gascolator also contained a handmade gasket made from a cork material and there was no safety wire on the gascolator. The pilot stated to the FAA inspector that he believed that the gascolator was salvaged from a PA-28 airplane when his airplane was built. He went on to say that the gascolator always seemed to be loose, but the thumb wheel would not turn any more to tighten it further. Oil and dirt residue were found throughout the cowling. In the area were the gascolator was mounted the oil and dirt residue was gone and the cowling appeared clean.
The gascolator was consistent with a Piper part number 63839-03 gascolator. A review of the Piper Service Letter 1141, dated April 11, 2011 was performed. The service letter called out a new procedure for safety wiring the bail assembly on the gascolator. The gasket that Piper required for this gascolator was made from rubber.
NTSB Identification: ERA14LA059
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, December 02, 2013 in Trenton, SC
Aircraft: MOFFITT OSCAR/ KIT PROSTAR A/C PT2, registration: N355PT
Injuries: 1 Minor.
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 December 2, 2013, about 1530 eastern standard time, an experimental, amateur built, Prostar PT2, N355PT, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain near Trenton, South Carolina. The private pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the private pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight. The flight departed from Twin Lakes Airport (S17), Graniteville, South Carolina at 1515.
According to the pilot he was in preparing the airplane to be sold. He noticed while conducting an inspection, the main tank fuel lines were old and brittle. He removed all of the lines and replaced them. After replacing the fuel lines he drained the gasculator. While draining the gasculator he found debris within it from the fuel lines. He continued to drain the system until all of the debris was removed and checked the system for leaks. The pilot decided to take the airplane on a short test flight. During the flight the engine lost full power and the pilot was unable to restart the engine. The pilot conducted a forced landing and during the descent struck a power line before coming to rest in a field.
Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that it came to rest in a field, and exhibited substantial damage. The airplane will be recovered for further examination at a later date.
TRENTON – For the second time in a week a plane has crashed in Trenton.
The pilot in this crash was able to exit the crashed plane on his own power and was shaken up but not seriously hurt. According to information provided on the scene, the pilot was leaving from Trenton when his engine quit and he was trying to circle back towards the airport and tried to make it to a nearby field as he was loosing altitude.
The plane clipped a tree and then two power lines spinning the plane around and crashing into another tree nose first. At this time it is unknown what caused the engine to fail just before 4 pm.
Edgefield County EMA Director Mike Casey said the FAA was on its was to the crash site. "We're going to baby-sit the scene until they arrive," Casey said. The FAA will make the determination if the NTSB needs to be involved in the investigation.
The plane, an experimental craft, looks very similar to a Piper Cub.
Power crews from SCE&G arrived to fix the downed power lines. Edgefield County Sheriff's Deputies, EMS and Trenton fire crews were also summoned to the scene. There was no fire involved after the crash.
Just last Monday another plane crashed near the Twin Lakes airstrip. The pilot in that crash, Robert Showalter, was killed on impact.
Story and Photo: http://www.edgefielddaily.com
