Woolston Glenn E ZENITH 701 STOL N246CV

Summary

On 26 August 2011 at about 22:00 local time, a Woolston Glenn E ZENITH 701 STOL registered N246CV, operated by Woolston Glenn E, was involved in an accident near Carlton, New York, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

26 August 2011 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Carlton, New York, United States

Coordinates

43.3256, -78.2128

Aircraft

Woolston Glenn E ZENITH 701 STOL

Registration

N246CV

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Woolston Glenn E

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Albion → Albion

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA11LA473

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s lack of recognition that the engine was being supplied fuel from only the right tank with the fuel selector in the both position, which resulted in the total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Contributing to the accident was the blockage of the left fuel tank supply line.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Several days before the accident flight, the pilot performed a local flight in the accident airplane, and, at the beginning of the flight, each fuel tank contained about 8 gallons of fuel. At the initiation of the accident flight, the pilot performed a preflight inspection and noted that the left tank still had 8 gallons of fuel but that the right tank had only 2 gallons. He departed with the fuel selector positioned to the both position, and, about 15 minutes into the flight, the engine sputtered then lost power completely. The pilot maneuvered the airplane for a forced landing in a field. After touchdown with obstructions ahead, he applied the brakes, and the airplane nosed over. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed a blockage of the left fuel tank supply line resulting in no fuel flow to the engine. No other discrepancies were reported. The evidence is consistent with the pilot having exhausted all usable fuel in the right fuel tank, and, due to the fuel line blockage in the left fuel tank supply line, the engine did not receive any fuel from the left tank.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.