Rockwell 112A N1401J

Summary

On 19 November 2017 at about 15:30 local time, a Rockwell 112A registered N1401J was involved in an accident near Clearwater, Florida, 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.

Date

19 November 2017 at 15:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Clearwater, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Clearwater Air Park (CLW)

Coordinates

27.9831, -82.7631

Aircraft

Rockwell 112A

Registration

N1401J

Category

Airplane

Year built

1975

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Zephyrhills → Clearwater

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC18LA010

Nobody was injured.

A total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, before departing on the personal flight, he added about 30 gallons of fuel to the airplane, which filled the left fuel tank completely and the right tank to about 7/8 full. He flew for about 20 minutes with the fuel selector on the left tank position. While preparing for landing, the pilot accomplished the before landing checklist, which included increasing the mixture to full rich, turning on the auxiliary fuel pump, and switching the fuel selector from the left tank position to the both position. He then reduced the throttle to slow the airplane and felt "slight resistance" on the throttle lever. About 10 seconds after switching the fuel selector, the airplane began to lose airspeed faster than anticipated. When he looked at the fuel flow indicator, the pilot saw it slowly transition from 8 gallons per hour to zero, and the engine subsequently lost all power. He moved the fuel selector back to the left fuel tank position, but the engine would not restart. During the forced landing, the airplane impacted a tree in the median of a 4-lane street before impacting and coming to rest in a stand of trees adjacent to the roadway. Postaccident testing of the engine and fuel injection servo revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Although some debris was noted during the examination of the fuel injection servo, it was likely not enough to cause the engine to lose total power. Thus, the reason for the total loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.