Czech Sport SPORTCRUISER N564SC

Summary

On 22 December 2018 at about 18:30 local time, a Czech Sport SPORTCRUISER registered N564SC, operated by Jrs Flying Club Llc, was involved in an accident near Naples, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 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

22 December 2018 at 18:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Naples, Florida, United States

Coordinates

26.1669, -81.5161

Aircraft

Czech Sport SPORTCRUISER

Registration

N564SC

Category

Airplane

Year built

2015

Engines

1

Operator

Jrs Flying Club Llc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Naples → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA19LA091

1 person was seriously injured.

Collision with a bird in flight, which resulted in damage to the engine, a fuel leak, and a subsequent total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the passenger, the pilot fueled the airplane before takeoff. While en route, about 2,500 ft above ground level, the airplane struck a large bird. The engine continued to operate for about 2 minutes, until the "low fuel" warning indicator illuminated, and then the engine lost total power. The pilot declared an emergency and performed a forced landing on a road. During the landing roll, the airplane struck a road sign and several large trees, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the nosewheel fairing and the underside of the engine cowling displayed evidence of a bird strike. Examination of the engine revealed that the carburetor was leaking fuel. The damage to the carburetor could not be definitively attributed to the bird strike alone. However, given that the airplane had been fueled immediately before the flight, that a low fuel warning was annunciated shortly after the bird strike, and that the bird had impacted an area in the vicinity from which fuel was leaking, it is likely that the bird strike damaged the fuel system, which resulted in fuel draining from the airplane, subsequent fuel exhaustion, and a total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.