Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Salt Lake City, Utah
Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
http://registry.faa.gov/N81973
Accident Number: GAA18CA330
Date & Time: 05/31/2018, 1745 MDT
Registration: N81973
Aircraft: SORENSEN DANNY S BF9 2
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Fuel exhaustion
Injuries: 1 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal
The pilot of the biplane reported that he believed he had departed with 38 gallons of fuel in the main fuel tank and 17 gallons in the auxiliary fuel tank. En route, the auxiliary fuel tank ran dry, so he switched to the main fuel tank, which he believed had a remaining 35 gallons of fuel.
The pilot reported that, while descending to the destination airport, the engine experienced a loss of power. He added that he believed the throttle linkage had broken and the carburetor was at idle. During the forced landing, he aligned the airplane with a highway and observed four semi-tractor trailers, but thought they were ahead of his flight path. The airplane struck one of the semi-tractor trailers, violently turned to the right, and came to rest inverted on the right side of the highway.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wings.
Postaccident examination revealed that the main fuel tank was empty, and the throttle linkage was intact. The pilot reported that his habitual fueling process is to fuel the main fuel tank before fueling the auxiliary fuel tank. He added that he reviewed fuel receipts and discovered that, before the accident flight, he fueled the auxiliary fuel tank first and, while following his routine, believed that the main fuel tank had already been fueled. This resulted in a departure with 10 gallons of fuel less than planned.
The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the biplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Pilot Information
Certificate: Commercial
Age: 68, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Rear
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used: Unknown
Instrument Rating(s): None
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 2 Without Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 05/18/2018
Occupational Pilot: Yes
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 10/05/2016
Flight Time: (Estimated) 2016 hours (Total, all aircraft), 310 hours (Total, this make and model), 1980 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 33 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 12 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft), 7 hours (Last 24 hours, all aircraft)
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: SORENSEN DANNY S
Registration: N81973
Model/Series: BF9 2 NO SERIES
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 2008
Amateur Built: Yes
Airworthiness Certificate: Experimental
Serial Number: 24601-001
Landing Gear Type: Tailwheel
Seats: 2
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 03/23/2018, Condition
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 2250 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 309.8 Hours at time of accident
Engine Manufacturer: Vendenyev
ELT: C126 installed, not activated
Engine Model/Series: M-14P
Registered Owner: On file
Rated Power: 360 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KEVW, 7163 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 2 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 2353 UTC
Direction from Accident Site: 309°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Visibility: 10 Miles
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 19 knots / 25 knots
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: / None
Wind Direction: 220°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: / N/A
Altimeter Setting: 29.83 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 22°C / -2°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: LONGMONT, CO (LMO)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: EVANSTON, WY (EVW)
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: 1500 MDT
Type of Airspace: Class G
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 None
Latitude, Longitude: 41.254167, -110.999722 (est)
(KUTV) -- Uinta County Fire and Ambulance reported a single engine place crash at milepost 7 on Interstate 80 near Evanston, Wyoming.
The crash was reported before 6 p.m., Thursday. The pilot walked away from the crash without injury, according to a Facebook post by the county agency.
Allen Kenitzer, Federal Aviation Administration Office of Communications, confirmed that an experimental BF9-2 airplane crashed under unknown circumstances when it’s engine stalled.
He said the aircraft attempted to land on I-80 when it clipped a semi truck and flipped over.
The aircraft was traveling from Longmont, Colo. to Bountiful, Utah, Kenitzer told 2News.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident further.
Original article can be found here ➤ http://kutv.com
May 2014: Danny Sorensen and Golden Age Air shows are coming to Rexburg.
Sorenson and his bi-plane will be part of the Legacy Airshow scheduled for June 14, 2014 at the airport in Rexburg.
The show is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is free to the public.
The Pilot
Born into an aviation-oriented family, Danny Sorensen has had a passion for airplanes for as long as he has had memory. From the age of 14 the driving force in his aviation pursuits has been to perform in airshows.
Soloing a 1946 Aeronca Champ in 1967 at the age of 17, and with just 17 hours 30 minutes in his log book, he convinced an instructor to teach him spins. A few months later a lesson in loops, snap rolls and hammerheads completed Danny's aerobatic instruction. He successfully performed his first slow roll in a 115HP Citabria after reading a how-to article in a magazine.
In 1978 Danny began flying Pitts Special biplanes, and that same year was selected by a local flying club to be their aerobatic instructor in a Pitts S-2A, although only a private pilot at the time, because he had the aerobatic background and experience that exceeded that of any certified flight instructors available.
Danny flew air shows in his Pitts Special, “The Blue Dragon,” from 1988 through 1994, then took a short 14 year break to design and build “Unfinished Business.” Danny has performed the duties of a test pilot, having made the initial test flights on 10 experimental airplanes (of which three were original prototypes), and has flown the complete flight test programs on six of those.
Danny has been a full-time career firefighter since January 1985, and has held the rank of captain since December 2000.
Danny married the love of his life, Allyn Hansen, in 1972. They have five children and six grandchildren. They reside in Bountiful, Utah.
The Aircraft
The Sorensen BF9-2 is a one-off custom biplane, designed and built by Danny specifically for airshow flying. Construction time alone consumed nearly 6,000 man-hours of labor, not including design time.
It features 1930s styling with modern day high performance. It is powered by a 360HP Vendenyev M14-P 9-cylinder radial engine turning a three-blade MTV-9 propeller of 8-1/2 foot diameter.
This combination produces a static thrust of more than 1,600 lbs. “Unfinished Business” carries the registration number N81973, the same number that was on the airplane in which Danny learned to fly.
The BF9-2 truly has an international heritage: The engine is Russian, the propeller is German, the brace wires are Scottish, the airframe is American, and the pitot tube is from a North American F-86 fighter jet.
Aircraft Specifications:
Wing Span – 21ft.
Length – 20ft. 3in.
Empty Weight – 1,605lbs.
Gross Weight – 2,250lbs.
Seats – 2
Fuel Capacity – 55 U.S. Gallons
Cruise Speed – 150MPH
Top Speed – 175MPH
Range – 450 Statute Miles w/45 minute reserve
Original article ➤ https://www.rexburgstandardjournal.com
Sorenson and his bi-plane will be part of the Legacy Airshow scheduled for June 14, 2014 at the airport in Rexburg.
The show is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is free to the public.
The Pilot
Born into an aviation-oriented family, Danny Sorensen has had a passion for airplanes for as long as he has had memory. From the age of 14 the driving force in his aviation pursuits has been to perform in airshows.
Soloing a 1946 Aeronca Champ in 1967 at the age of 17, and with just 17 hours 30 minutes in his log book, he convinced an instructor to teach him spins. A few months later a lesson in loops, snap rolls and hammerheads completed Danny's aerobatic instruction. He successfully performed his first slow roll in a 115HP Citabria after reading a how-to article in a magazine.
In 1978 Danny began flying Pitts Special biplanes, and that same year was selected by a local flying club to be their aerobatic instructor in a Pitts S-2A, although only a private pilot at the time, because he had the aerobatic background and experience that exceeded that of any certified flight instructors available.
Danny flew air shows in his Pitts Special, “The Blue Dragon,” from 1988 through 1994, then took a short 14 year break to design and build “Unfinished Business.” Danny has performed the duties of a test pilot, having made the initial test flights on 10 experimental airplanes (of which three were original prototypes), and has flown the complete flight test programs on six of those.
Danny has been a full-time career firefighter since January 1985, and has held the rank of captain since December 2000.
Danny married the love of his life, Allyn Hansen, in 1972. They have five children and six grandchildren. They reside in Bountiful, Utah.
The Aircraft
The Sorensen BF9-2 is a one-off custom biplane, designed and built by Danny specifically for airshow flying. Construction time alone consumed nearly 6,000 man-hours of labor, not including design time.
It features 1930s styling with modern day high performance. It is powered by a 360HP Vendenyev M14-P 9-cylinder radial engine turning a three-blade MTV-9 propeller of 8-1/2 foot diameter.
This combination produces a static thrust of more than 1,600 lbs. “Unfinished Business” carries the registration number N81973, the same number that was on the airplane in which Danny learned to fly.
The BF9-2 truly has an international heritage: The engine is Russian, the propeller is German, the brace wires are Scottish, the airframe is American, and the pitot tube is from a North American F-86 fighter jet.
Aircraft Specifications:
Wing Span – 21ft.
Length – 20ft. 3in.
Empty Weight – 1,605lbs.
Gross Weight – 2,250lbs.
Seats – 2
Fuel Capacity – 55 U.S. Gallons
Cruise Speed – 150MPH
Top Speed – 175MPH
Range – 450 Statute Miles w/45 minute reserve
Original article ➤ https://www.rexburgstandardjournal.com
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