North American NAVION N4021K
16 March 1992 · Elbe, Washington, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 16 March 1992 at about 02:38 local time, a North American NAVION registered N4021K, operated by Smith, Scott W. III & Chris A., was involved in an accident near Elbe, Washington, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 02:38
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Elbe, Washington, United States
- Coordinates
- 46.7603, -122.1592
- Aircraft
- North American NAVION
- Registration
- N4021K
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Smith, Scott W. III & Chris A.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Moses Lake → Olympia
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Dusk
- NTSB number
- SEA92LA062
People
3 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Probable cause
FUEL STARVATION, IMPROPER FUEL, IMPROPER AIRCRAFT SERVICING (FUELING), AND CLEARANCE NOT POSSIBLE. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: NO SUITABLE TERRAIN, LOW CEILINGS, DUSK AND TREES.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
SHORTLY AFTER COMMENCING A DESCENT, AND SEVERAL MINUTES AFTER SWITCHING FROM THE 'AUX' TO 'MAIN' FUEL TANKS, THE FUEL PRESSURE DROPPED TO ZERO AND THE ENGINE QUIT. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO ACCOMPLISH A RESTART AND EXECUTED A FORCED LANDING. UPON BREAKING OUT OF A 500 FOOT OVERCAST DURING DUSK CONDITIONS AND OVER AN OCCUPIED ROAD AND WOODED TERRAIN, THE PILOT MANEUVERED THE AIRCRAFT AWAY FROM THE ROAD TOWARDS THE ONLY SUITABLE LANDING AREA AVAILABLE. THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH TREES DURING THIS MANEUVER. POST CRASH EXAMINATION BY THE FAA REVEALED NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION WITHIN THE FUEL SYSTEM. THE PILOT REPORTED DEPARTING MOSES LAKE, WASHINGTON, WITH 20 GALLONS OF 80/87 OCTANE FUEL IN THE 'AUX' FUEL TANK AND A 50/50 MIX OF 100 LOW LEAD AND AUTOMOTIVE GASOLINE IN THE 'MAIN' TANK. RESEARCH INTO THE ISSUANCE OF AN STC FOR AUTOMOTIVE GASOLINE IN THE NAVION WAS NOT PURSED DUE TO A FINDING OF 'SEVERE VAPOR LOCK' DURING ITS USE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other North American NAVION accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 May 1992 | North American NAVION | Sabina, Ohio, United States | Carol K Hanshell | Minor injuries | - |
| 9 Jun 1992 | North American NAVION | Spokane, Washington, United States | West, Alvin | No injuries | - |
| 20 Oct 1991 | North American NAVION D | Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, United States | Rempert, Roger L. | No injuries | - |
| 1 Sep 1991 | North American NAVION A | Chehalis, Washington, United States | Milligan, Lewis D. | Serious injuries | - |
| 4 Oct 1991 | North American NAVION | Ola, Idaho, United States | Bryce V. Rogers | Fatal | 1 |
| 1 Nov 1991 | North American NAVION | Okeechobee, Florida, United States | Swartz, Grant L. | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Nov 1992 | Cessna 172M | Olympia, Washington, United States | Center O Flying Club | No injuries | - |
| 11 Nov 1992 | Cessna 210N | Spokane, Washington, United States | Soft Water Service Company | No injuries | - |
| 17 Nov 1992 | Cessna 172M | Vancouver, Washington, United States | Tabooma Flyers Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 3 May 1992 | Pilatus B-4 PC 11A | Wenatchee, Washington, United States | Butler, John | Fatal | 1 |
| 5 May 1992 | Rockwell S2R | St. John, Washington, United States | Larmie Aviation, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 7 May 1992 | Fairchild 24W-40 | Toledo, Washington, United States | McKenney, Robert E. | No injuries | - |