Spittler RANS S-16 N116GS

Summary

On 4 August 2006 at about 14:15 local time, a Spittler RANS S-16 registered N116GS, operated by Richard H. Harriman, was involved in an accident near Plattsmouth, Nebraska, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 August 2006 at 14:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Plattsmouth, Nebraska, United States

Coordinates

40.9503, -95.9178

Aircraft

Spittler RANS S-16

Registration

N116GS

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Richard H. Harriman

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Plattsmouth → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI06CA237

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation which resulted from a binding within the fuel servo. A factor associated with the accident was the high vegetation that was encountered during the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane collided with rough terrain during a forced landing following a loss of engine power. The pilot reported that they were practicing touch and go landings when the engine power decreased by 100 to 150 rpm during takeoff. The pilot confirmed the boost pump position, the mixture setting, and the fuel quantity. He reported that at an altitude of about 500 feet above the ground the engine power decreased smoothly to zero. The pilot reported there were crop fields on both sides of his path with a slew in the middle so he elected to land straight ahead in the slew. The airplane touched down in the four-foot-tall grass at which time the nose and right main landing gears collapsed resulting in structural damage to the airplane. The fuel servo was removed from the airplane and bench tested. The test revealed the servo had a tendency to stick when transitioning between high and low pressure settings.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.