Vanek Jim SPORT COPTER VORTEX N179V

Summary

On 24 September 2015 at about 14:50 local time, a Vanek Jim SPORT COPTER VORTEX registered N179V was involved in an accident near Lake Wales, Florida, 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

24 September 2015 at 14:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Lake Wales, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Lake Wales (X07)

Coordinates

27.8939, -81.6206

Aircraft

Vanek Jim SPORT COPTER VORTEX

Registration

N179V

Category

Gyrocraft

Year built

2007

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lake Wales → Lake Wales

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA15LA373

1 person had minor injuries.

A loss of engine power due to a lean fuel/air mixture as a result of a disconnected fuel primer line.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the initial climb, the sport pilot of the gyroplane noticed that the engine began to lose power, and he attempted to return to the airport. The engine continued to lose power and the pilot made a forced landing in a field. During the landing sequence, the gyroplane rolled over and sustained damage to the airframe. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the fuel primer line was brittle and disconnected. The pilot stated that all of the fuel lines had been recently replaced, with the exception of the primer line. It is likely that the disconnected fuel primer line caused an excessively lean air/fuel mixture ratio, which resulted in the loss of engine power during the climb.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.