Ryan NAVION N4467K

Summary

On 20 September 2009 at about 14:10 local time, a Ryan NAVION registered N4467K was involved in an accident near Fire Island, New York, United States. 3 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

20 September 2009 at 14:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Fire Island, New York, United States

Coordinates

40.7000, -72.9167

Aircraft

Ryan NAVION

Registration

N4467K

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kingstown → Wildwood

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA09LA532

Nobody was injured.

A total loss of engine power during cruise flight due to fuel starvation as a result of a deteriorated fuel gasket.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, the airplane was equipped with three fuel tanks: one main tank in each wing and an auxiliary tank in the fuselage. Each tank had a capacity of approximately 20 gallons. Prior to his departure, the pilot filled the auxiliary fuel tank and determined that there was a total of approximately 25 gallons in the main tanks. During cruise, about 55 minutes into the cross-country flight, the pilot decided to switch from the main wing tanks to the auxiliary tank. In accordance with the normal operating procedure, the pilot first turned on the fuel boost pump and then switched the fuel selector valve to the auxiliary tank. Very shortly thereafter the engine lost all power. The pilot immediately switched the fuel selector valve back to the main tanks. Although all controls were set properly, the engine did not resume developing power and the pilot’s restart attempts were unsuccessful. The pilot then executed a forced landing on a nearby beach. Postaccident examination and testing revealed that the cork gasket in the fuel strainer was deteriorated, did not provide a proper seal, and allowed air to be introduced into the fuel system when the selector valve was switched to the auxiliary tank. The investigation could not determine the age of the gasket or whether it was the correct part. The airplane had accumulated about 5 hours in service since the fuel selector valve was replaced, and the airplane had not been flown using fuel from the auxiliary tank since the valve replacement.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.