Skykits Usa SAVANNAH ADV N5089F

Summary

On 19 April 2012 at about 20:39 local time, a Skykits Usa SAVANNAH ADV registered N5089F was involved in an accident near Ookala, Hawaii, United States. One person was on board and 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

19 April 2012 at 20:39

Classification

Accident

Location

Ookala, Hawaii, United States

Coordinates

20.0022, -155.3014

Aircraft

Skykits Usa SAVANNAH ADV

Registration

N5089F

Category

Airplane

Year built

2006

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hawi → Hilo

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR12LA176

1 person was seriously injured.

A loss of engine power during cruise for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to avoid an aerodynamic stall at low altitude during the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The owner/pilot topped off both fuel tanks in the special light-sport airplane, flew uneventfully to another airport, and departed shortly thereafter. About 75 minutes after the initial departure, while in cruise flight at an altitude that the pilot estimated as between 2,500 and 3,000 feet, the engine lost power. Due in part to the airplane's low altitude, the pilot did not attempt any corrective actions, and focused on finding a suitable landing location. The pilot selected a young cornfield for the landing but stalled the airplane a few feet above the ground, which resulted in a near vertical impact trajectory in a flat attitude. The pilot reported that he believed that the power loss was due to asymmetric fuel feed from the two wing-mounted fuel tanks due to a plugged fuel vent in the left tank. Although the fuel vents were not examined, no mechanical failures or deficiencies that would have precluded continued engine operation were observed during examination of the airplane. Accordingly, the investigation did not determine a specific reason for the power loss, or the specific reason(s) why the pilot stalled the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.