Alon A2 N6364V

Summary

On 27 April 2014 at about 21:00 local time, a Alon A2 registered N6364V was involved in an accident near Apex, North Carolina, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

27 April 2014 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Apex, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Deck Airpark (NC11)

Coordinates

35.7361, -78.9228

Aircraft

Alon A2

Registration

N6364V

Category

Airplane

Year built

1965

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Apex → Grays Creek

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA14LA208

2 people had minor injuries.

A total loss of engine power during initial climb for reasons that could not be determined during postaccident examination and testing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that, before the accident flight, the airplane had about 15 gallons of automotive gasoline in the fuel tanks. The taxi and initial takeoff were "normal"; however, when the airplane was about 100 ft above the trees that bordered the airport, the engine experienced a sudden total loss of power. The pilot then reduced the throttle and reapplied full throttle. Although the engine momentarily restarted, it then immediately lost power. The airplane subsequently impacted trees and came to rest inverted. Local authorities reported a strong fuel smell at the accident location, but the exact amount of spilled fuel could not be determined. Examination of the airframe and a subsequent test run of the engine revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Federal Aviation Administration guidance indicates that vapor lock is a problem that mostly affects gasoline-fueled internal combustion engines and can result in a transient or complete loss of power. The guidance further states that restarting the engine from this state may be difficult because fuel can be vaporized by engine heat. Given that the ambient air temperature, the fuel flow condition (takeoff), and the likely engine temperature were conducive to the occurrence of vapor lock, it is possible that the loss of engine power was due to vapor lock; however, insufficient evidence existed to determine whether vapor lock occurred during the accident flight. The weather conditions about the time of the accident were conducive to the accumulation of carburetor icing at cruise and glide power; however, given the pilot's statement that the engine operated "normally" until the sudden loss of power and that the airplane was climbing at a high power setting, it is not likely that the carburetor accumulated ice.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.