Just JUST AIRCRAFT (HIGHL N488VG

Summary

On 12 October 2018 at about 16:30 local time, a Just JUST AIRCRAFT (HIGHL registered N488VG was involved in an accident near Monroe, Washington, United States. One person was 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

12 October 2018 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Monroe, Washington, United States

Coordinates

47.8250, -122.0186

Aircraft

Just JUST AIRCRAFT (HIGHL

Registration

N488VG

Category

Airplane

Year built

2010

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Auburn → Monroe

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA19CA034

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper engine modification and operation, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation, and the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate approach path, which resulted in the airplane landing short of the runway.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped, experimental, amateur-built airplane, who was also an airframe and powerplant mechanic, reported that, during approach to a sandbar, he side-slipped the airplane and that the engine then lost power because he was "too aggressive with the throttle and pulled it enough to bend the [carburetor] idle stop screw bracket." The engine was normally quiet, the airplane was sound proofed, and the pilot also used a noise-cancelling headset, which prevented him from being aware of the power loss until he attempted to add power to no avail. He did not have enough time to restart the engine, so the airplane settled onto the water about 15 to 20 ft short of the sandbar. Subsequently, the airplane hydroplaned and then came to rest on the sandbar inverted. The pilot reported that the reason he was aggressive with the throttle was because of a lean mixture that tended to overheat the engine during takeoff or cruise on hot days. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing lift strut, left wing, and rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported that the pilot had modified the number and position of the last hole in the fuel spray bar. By doing so, the pilot was able to get the engine to "barely run" to perform short-field landings. During the accident landing, it "must have cut off the flow of fuel enough to make the engine quit." That pilot reported that he had previously attempted to mechanically enrich the mixture by drilling holes in the fuel spray bar but had drilled a hole "at the location where the engine wanted to idle," meaning that, if the hole was open, the engine would idle high, and if the hole was closed, the engine would "die." He added that it was not a problem unless he was trying to land short.    

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.