Kennedy Michael M LANCAIR 320 N351E

Summary

On 13 February 2011 at about 16:00 local time, a Kennedy Michael M LANCAIR 320 registered N351E, operated by Reister William L, was involved in an accident near Dawsonville, Georgia, 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

13 February 2011 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Dawsonville, Georgia, United States

Coordinates

34.3519, -84.0414

Aircraft

Kennedy Michael M LANCAIR 320

Registration

N351E

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Reister William L

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lawrenceville → Winder

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA11LA142

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection and failure to detect water-contaminated fuel, which resulted in a loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After about 25 minutes of flight, the pilot began transferring fuel from the left and right main fuel tanks to the 10-gallon header tank which fed the engine. Ten minutes after completing that operation, the engine began to lose power. The pilot activated the fuel boost pumps and adjusted the throttle and mixture controls. He stated that the engine surged as though it was running out of fuel. When engine power could not be restored, the pilot performed a forced landing to the median of a divided highway, and a hard landing resulted in substantial damage to the left wing tip, rudder, and propeller. A postacciddent examination of the fuel filter revealed traces of sediment and water, while the gascolator bowl contained water and debris. The filter and bowl were then reinstalled and an engine run was completed using the airplane’s own battery and fuel system. The engine started immediately, accelerated smoothly, and ran continuously without interruption.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.