De Havilland DHC-22A N665WB

Summary

On 24 September 2004 at about 22:20 local time, a De Havilland DHC-22A registered N665WB was involved in an accident near Richmond, Virginia, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 September 2004 at 22:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Richmond, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Chesterfield County Airport (FCI)

Coordinates

37.4064, -77.5247

Aircraft

De Havilland DHC-22A

Registration

N665WB

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Richmond → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC04LA219

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection which resulted in fuel contamination and a subsequent loss of engine power. A factor in the accident was the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed while attempting a forced landing which resulted in an inadvertent stall followed by the airplane impacting a grassy area next to the runway.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

After an uneventful departure from the airport, as the airplane was turned to enter the traffic pattern, the engine lost power. The pilot elected to conduct a 180-degree left turn to return to the airport, and during the turn, he overshot the runway. He then turned the airplane to the right to realign with the runway, and at 50 feet above the ground, the right wing stalled. The airplane continued to roll to the right and would not respond to aileron inputs. The airplane impacted a grass area next to the runway; ground looped, and came to rest. Examination of the wreckage revealed that when fuel was drained from the carburetor bowl, the fuel was consistent with automotive fuel, and was contaminated with water and other foreign object debris. A witness stated that the pilot had experienced a similar problem with a sputtering engine on the day prior to the accident, and executed an uneventful forced landing to the airport.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.