Crane THORP T-18 N40918
25 January 1997 · San Diego, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 25 January 1997 at about 18:38 local time, a Crane THORP T-18 registered N40918 was involved in an accident near San Diego, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 18:38
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- San Diego, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- San Diego Brown Field (SDM)
- Coordinates
- 32.5509, -117.0400
- Aircraft
- Crane THORP T-18
- Registration
- N40918
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX97LA092
People
2 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
Installation by the pilot/owner of an unairworthy check valve in the fuel system of the amateur built aircraft, which resulted in inadequate fuel flow to the engine and subsequent engine failure. A factor in the accident was the owner's operation of the aircraft with known deficiencies.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
According to pilots who were familiar with the experimental aircraft, the engine had a history of power loss events dating back several months prior to the accident flight. On the day of the accident, the CFI and the dual student/aircraft owner had completed two touch-and-go landings and were on crosswind leg when the engine abruptly quit. A crash and postcrash fire resulted from the ensuing forced landing. A postcrash investigation revealed that a check valve was present in the engine fuel system to provide fuel under pressure to the carburetor when the electric boost pump was operating. The check valve was disassembled and was found to have no internal components. This permitted the fuel to circulate back to the fuel pump inlet and interfered with fuel flow to the carburetor.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Aug 1997 | Airbus A300 B4-203 | Los Angeles, California, United States | Pan American World Airways, In | No injuries | - |
| 15 Aug 1997 | Bell UH-1H | Tahoe City, California, United States | Usda / Forest Service | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1997 | Cessna 152 | Julian, California, United States | Plus One Flyers, Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
| 11 Oct 1997 | Schweizer 2-32 | Warner Springs, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Oct 1997 | Bellanca 7ECA | Tracy, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 26 Oct 1997 | Extra Flugzeugbau EA-300 | Castaic, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |