Republic RC 3 N87570

Summary

On 22 July 2016 at about 13:30 local time, a Republic RC 3 registered N87570 was involved in an accident near Winter Haven, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, 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

22 July 2016 at 13:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Winter Haven, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Winter Haven's Gilbert (GIF)

Coordinates

28.0622, -81.7539

Aircraft

Republic RC 3

Registration

N87570

Category

Airplane

Year built

1946

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Winter Haven → Winter Haven

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA16LA266

1 person died.

Improper installation of a fuel line by unknown personnel, which resulted in a total loss of engine power during initial climb due to fuel starvation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Shortly after takeoff for a local personal flight, about 300 ft above ground level, the private pilot of the airplane smelled fuel. The engine lost all power shortly thereafter, and the airplane descended, collided with trees, and then impacted terrain. An examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel line between the electric fuel pumps and the engine driven pump had a loose connection at the fuel shut-off lever. During a postaccident engine run, when the electric fuel pumps were on and delivering fuel under pressure to the engine, the loose connection did not affect engine operation. However, when the electric fuel pumps were shut off, the engine-driven fuel pump suctioned air through the loose fuel line connection resulting in fuel starvation and loss of engine power. It is likely that the engine lost power during the accident flight when the commercial pilot turned off the electric fuel pumps after takeoff. The airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed about 7 months before the accident. The investigation could not determine if the fuel line had been installed before or after the annual inspection because there was no logbook entry regarding installation of the fuel line.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.