Phelps KITFOX III N873RX
28 July 2013 · Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 28 July 2013 at about 16:50 local time, a Phelps KITFOX III registered N873RX, operated by Phelps REX D, was involved in an accident near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 16:50
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States
- Nearest airport
- Wittman Regional Airport (OSH)
- Coordinates
- 43.9553, -88.6822
- Aircraft
- Phelps KITFOX III
- Registration
- N873RX
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Phelps REX D
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- La Porte → Oshkosh
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN13FA440
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The degraded fuel line, which prevented fuel from the left tank from reaching the header tank and resulted in the loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The airplane was about 1,000 feet above ground level when the engine experienced a loss of power. The pilot was able to momentarily regain engine power twice before the engine lost total power. The pilot performed a forced landing in a field. The airplane's nose impacted terrain, which pushed the engine rearward and buckled the structure under the forward cockpit area. A postaccident examination revealed that the left wing fuel tank was nearly full, and the fuel line connecting the left wing fuel tank to the header tank had softened at the installation bend, which allowed the fuel line to kink and shut off the fuel supply from the left wing tank. The right wing and header fuel tanks were empty, and the fuel line from the right tank was intact and functioned normally. The fuel system on newer models of the accident airplane have been modified to include a 90-degree elbow fitting, which prevents the tight bend in the fuel line from the wing tanks to the header tank.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jun 2013 | Cessna TP206B | Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, United States | Skydive Door County | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 2013 | Piper PA-28R-200 | Lake Michigan, Wisconsin, United States | Ann Marie Schmid | Fatal | 2 |
| 8 Sep 2013 | Taylorcraft BL 65 | Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 15 Jun 2013 | Piper PA-24-260 | La Pointe, Wisconsin, United States | 8815 Papa LLC | Fatal | 2 |
| 17 Feb 2013 | Cessna 177 | Elcho, Wisconsin, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 2013 | Stearman A75 | Appleton, Wisconsin, United States | American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum Inc | No injuries | - |