Saturday, January 08, 2022

Loss of Engine Power (Total): Aero Commander 100, N5573M; accident occurred January 04, 2020 in Mullin, Mills County, Texas














Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board
 

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

Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; San Antonio, Texas

Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board:


Location: Mullin, Texas 
Accident Number: CEN20LA055
Date and Time: January 4, 2020, 16:00 Local 
Registration: N5573M
Aircraft: Aero Commander 100 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Loss of engine power (total)
Injuries: 2 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Instructional

Analysis

The flight instructor and student pilot were conducting a cross-country flight. During a gradual descent to the destination airstrip, the engine lost total power, and the airplane sustained substantial damage during the subsequent forced landing. The airplane was recovered from the accident site and an engine examination and test run revealed no anomalies.

Examination of the fuel selector revealed that either the fuel selector handle or the pointer was installed 180° out of position. When the selector handle was selected to BOTH, the valve was completely closed, in what should have been the OFF position. When the selector handle was selected to OFF, the valve was open, in what should have been the BOTH position.

The temperature and dewpoint for the accident time and accident site were not conducive to the formation of carburetor icing.

It is possible that if the fuel selector was manipulated to the BOTH position during the flight, the fuel may have been prevented from reaching the engine due to the incorrect installation of the selector handle. However, the examination could not determine whether it was the selector handle or the pointer that was installed incorrectly. Based on the available evidence, the reason for the total loss of engine power could not be determined.

Probable Cause and Findings

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
A total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.

Findings

Not determined (general) - Unknown/Not determined
Aircraft (general) - Unknown/Not determined

Factual Information

On January 4, 2020, about 1600 central standard time, an Aero Commander 100 airplane, N5573M, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Mullin, Texas. The student pilot and flight instructor were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight.

The flight instructor reported that he and the student departed on the 75-nautical-mile flight with 40 gallons of fuel onboard. About 3 miles from the destination airstrip, they initiated a slow descent to a private airstrip. The student completed the Descent and the Before Landing checklist. About 3,000 ft above mean sea level, the engine lost total power.

The instructor immediately took control of the airplane and ensured that the fuel selector switch was selected for both fuel tanks, the carburetor heat was applied, and the mixture control was at the full-rich position. He trimmed the airplane for its best glide speed and the student completed a mayday call. The instructor switched fuel tanks; however, the engine did not respond, and the propeller was “wind milling.” The instructor performed a forced landing to a flat, plowed dirt field, during which the right wingtip impacted a tree and the airplane nosed over.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, both wings, and the empennage. The fuel system was breached during the accident and the exact amount of fuel onboard at the time of the loss of engine power could not be determined. The airplane was recovered from the accident site and an engine run was performed. The engine successfully ran for several minutes at various power settings when a fuel source was plumbed to the engine. No mechanical anomalies were found during the engine run.

Examination of the fuel selector revealed that either the fuel selector handle or the pointer was installed 180° out of position. When the selector handle was selected to BOTH, the valve was completely closed, in what should have been the OFF position. When the selector handle was selected to OFF, the valve was open, in what should have been the BOTH position. The hole on the end of the pointer that slid over the shaft featured a round side and a flat side, which helps to correctly orient the pointer during installation. The hole was sufficiently worn that the pointer would fit over the shaft in both directions. The examination could not determine if the selector handle or the pointer was installed incorrectly.

The temperature and dewpoint for the accident time and accident site were not conducive to the formation of carburetor icing.

History of Flight

Approach Unknown or undetermined
Approach Loss of engine power (total) (Defining event)
Approach Attempted remediation/recovery
Approach Off-field or emergency landing
Approach Collision during takeoff/land

Flight instructor Information

Certificate: Commercial; Flight instructor
Age: 33, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Single-engine land; Multi-engine land
Seat Occupied: Right
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None 
Restraint Used: Lap only
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: Yes
Instructor Rating(s): Airplane multi-engine; Airplane single-engine; Instrument airplane
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 1 Without waivers/limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: July 5, 2016
Occupational Pilot: Yes 
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: April 22, 2019
Flight Time: 1756 hours (Total, all aircraft), 10 hours (Total, this make and model), 1659 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 25 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 10 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft)

Student pilot Information

Certificate: Student
Age: 42, Male
Airplane Rating(s): None 
Seat Occupied: Left
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None 
Restraint Used: Lap only
Instrument Rating(s): None 
Second Pilot Present: Yes
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 3 With waivers/limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: April 16, 2019
Occupational Pilot: No 
Last Flight Review or Equivalent:
Flight Time: 77.1 hours (Total, all aircraft), 57.9 hours (Total, this make and model), 70.5 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 39.5 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 18.7 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft)

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Aero Commander 
Registration: N5573M
Model/Series: 100 UNDESIGNAT
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1967
Amateur Built:
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal 
Serial Number: 107
Landing Gear Type: Tricycle 
Seats: 4
Date/Type of Last Inspection: June 28, 2019 Annual 
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 2250 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection: 
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 2335.38 Hrs as of last inspection
Engine Manufacturer: Lycoming Engines
ELT: C91 installed, not activated
Engine Model/Series: O-320-A2B
Registered Owner:
Rated Power: 150 Horsepower
Operator: On file 
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual (VMC) 
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KMKN, 1388 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 16 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 16:01 Local 
Direction from Accident Site: 10°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Visibility: 10 miles
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 3 knots / 
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual: None / None
Wind Direction: 260° 
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual: N/A / N/A
Altimeter Setting: 30.28 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 20°C / -1°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: Abilene, TX (ABI)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Mullin, TX 
Type of Clearance: VFR
Departure Time: 15:00 Local
Type of Airspace: Class G

Airport Information

Airport: Private Airstrip
Runway Surface Type: Dirt
Airport Elevation: 1500 ft msl
Runway Surface Condition: Dry; Soft
Runway Used: 
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width:
VFR Approach/Landing: Forced landing

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 2 None 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries:
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: 
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 None
Latitude, Longitude: 31.650278,-98.654167(est)


5 comments:

  1. Terrible that a worn "D" profile in the pointer fit-up apparently caused a crash.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Regardless of the fuel selector handle and actual location, was there any fuel in the plane?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "The flight instructor reported that he and the student departed on the 75-nautical-mile flight with 40 gallons of fuel onboard."

      Unless caps were left off or some other loss occurred, seems like there should have been fuel still available. The airframe inspection was done months later in November at the salvage yard where the long-dismantled pieces had laid, apparently there was no info on how much fuel was drained during the initial take apart.

      Magneto rework during a November run test is a puzzle. There was no explanation on why the oil flinger was not fully seated at the bottom of the drive shaft, disabling the left magneto, or why it would not start on just the right magneto...

      Run test:
      https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=11574901&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=CEN20LA005%20NTSB%20Engine%20Run%20Report-Rel.pdf

      Delete
  3. oops... some mechanic is gonna get chewed out big time. Such a nice looking field to make an emergency landing in, from a 1,000' up... Bet pilot who's a farmer would've been like, nope, not that freshly plowed field.. we're headin' for the corn.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No corn standing in January to head to. They had just plowed under what was left of stalk stubs, making ready for spring planting!

      Mr. Newton was in primary control of the available choices when the fan stopped.

      Delete