Rans S21 N46JH

Summary

On 9 June 2022 at about 16:45 local time, a Rans S21 registered N46JH was involved in an accident near Fairfield, Utah, 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

9 June 2022 at 16:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Fairfield, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

West Desert Airpark (UT9)

Coordinates

40.2441, -112.0889

Aircraft

Rans S21

Registration

N46JH

Category

Airplane

Year built

2021

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR22LA211

1 person had minor injuries.

The owner’s (pilot) failure to properly torque a fuel filter b-nut fitting, which likely introduced air into the fuel system and resulted in a loss of engine power. Contributing to the loss of power was a missing restricted bypass line and a header tank vent line, which would have allowed the venting of air from the fuel system.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting a test flight following recent maintenance when, shortly after departing, the engine began to lose power. He performed a forced landing on airport property, during which the airplane landed hard and sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the fuel filter b-nut fitting was not properly torqued, which likely introduced air into the fuel system. Additionally, there was no restricted bypass line between the inlet (pressure side of the fuel pump module) and the return line and no vent line from the header tank, both of which would have allowed the venting of air from the fuel system. Based on this evidence, it is likely that the loose fuel filter b-nut allowed the air into the fuel system that could not be properly vented due to the lack of a restricted bypass line and vent line, which ultimately resulted in the loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.