Sheel VANS RV-8 N5754S

Summary

On 7 August 2005 at about 15:00 local time, a Sheel VANS RV-8 registered N5754S was involved in an accident near Fort Collins, Colorado, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, 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

7 August 2005 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Collins, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Fort Collins-Loveland Municipa (FNL)

Coordinates

40.4533, -105.0189

Aircraft

Sheel VANS RV-8

Registration

N5754S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fort Collins → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN05LA121

1 person died.

the pilot inadvertently stalling the airplane and descending into the ground. Contributing factors were the pilot's inadequate preflight planning/preparation and his failure to refuel the airplane, resulting in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane departed runway 33. During the initial climb out, the airplane made a steep roll to the left, pitched down, descended and impacted terrain. A witness said he saw the airplane "in a high left bank like it was trying to land on runway 15. Suddenly, the plane made an abrupt (steep) descent (approximately 45 degrees) nose down. About 50 feet above the ground, it seemed the pilot tried to level off. The plane impacted the ground at a lower angle of attack (I would say 15-20 degrees). An FAA inspector, who was at the airport but did not witness the accident, immediately responded to the accident site. He said he found the fuel selector valve on the left tank and the left fuel tank was empty. The right fuel tank contained approximately "one inch" of fuel. One blade of the propeller was bent under the engine cowling, and the other was slightly damaged. The engine had been extensively modified. Disassembly revealed continuity and compression of all cylinders. The left magneto produced spark when turned. In place of a right magneto, the airplane was equipped with an automotive electronic ignition. All eight spark plugs were of the automotive-type. There was no fuel in the engine-driven fuel pump, electrically-driven fuel pump, or fuel injectors. The engine data recorder was sent to the manufacturer. Data downloaded was found to be corrupt and meaningless.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.