Friday, January 15, 2021

Extra EA 300/L, N771JP: Accident occurred January 13, 2021 in Pell City, St. Clair County, Alabama

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. 

The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident. 

Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Birmingham, Alabama
    

Location: Pell City, AL
Accident Number: ERA21LA107
Date & Time: January 13, 2021, 13:19 Local
Registration: N771JP
Aircraft: EXTRA FLUGZEUGBAU GMBH EA
300/L Injuries: 1 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

On January 13, 2021, about 1319 eastern standard time, an Extra Flugzeubau GMBH EA300L, N771JP, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Pell City, Alabama. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

According to the pilot, he departed with 14 gallons of fuel in the wing tanks and 12 gallons in the center tank. After a 10-minute flight, he was on approach about 1,500 ft above ground level when the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot was unable to restart the engine and the airplane’s left-wing stuck trees and terrain during the ensuing forced landing.

Examination of the accident site by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the airplane came to rest upright in a field and sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. There was no odor of fuel and no evidence of fuel spillage at the scene. The center fuel tank was completely full, and the wing fuel tanks contained only trace amounts of fuel.

The airplane was recovered for further examination.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: EXTRA FLUGZEUGBAU GMBH
Registration: N771JP
Model/Series: EA 300/L Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator: 
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code:

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: VMC
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: ASN,528 ft msl
Observation Time: 11:55 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 10 Nautical Miles 
Temperature/Dew Point: 4°C /1°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Scattered / 11000 ft AGL
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: / ,
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.17 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Gadsden, AL (GAD) 
Destination: Pell City, AL (PLR)

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: 33.581338,-86.241358 (est)

2 comments:

  1. It would be interesting to hear what position the fuel selector was in.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Actually, there's additional crash-landing photos from an auction website that shows the both the front and rear cockpits and the fuel selector is in the 12 o clock position, which in the 300L equates to the wing tanks. It seems all he needed to do was switch tanks!

    Link to image: https://media.salvex.com/auction/p/1830084/183008323_703404_lp.jpg

    ReplyDelete