Bell Andy SKYRAIDER II N90AB

Summary

On 16 November 2023 at about 17:30 local time, a Bell Andy SKYRAIDER II registered N90AB was involved in an accident near Limington, Maine, 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

16 November 2023 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Limington, Maine, United States

Nearest airport

Limington-Harmon (63B)

Coordinates

43.7630, -70.6725

Aircraft

Bell Andy SKYRAIDER II

Registration

N90AB

Category

Airplane

Year built

2002

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

ERA24LA040

1 person had minor injuries.

The failure of the fuel pump to adequately supply fuel to the engine due to significant corrosion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After a short local flight in the experimental amateur-built airplane, the pilot landed, taxied back, and took off to practice landings. Shortly after takeoff, during the initial climb as he crossed the end of the runway at 300 ft above ground level, the engine suddenly lost power for several seconds, regained partial power, then stopped producing power again. The power continued to fluctuate but remained about 800 rpm below full power. The pilot was unable to maintain altitude and continued to fly the runway heading to land in a field that was bordered by trees. The airplane continued to descend, and the pilot was unable to clear the treetops. The airplane impacted the trees, then impacted the terrain in a nose-down attitude, resulting in substantial damage to the wings. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed the carburetor was intact and there was no fuel discovered in the lines between the engine-driven fuel pump and the carburetor. Upon further examination, the engine-driven fuel pump contained a substantial amount of corrosion. Although the pilot stated he had turned on the auxiliary fuel pump, no fuel was found in the fuel lines leading into the carburetor. It is likely that the corrosion in the engine-driven fuel pump led to a sporadic ability to provide adequate fuel to the engine, resulting in a partial loss of power from fuel starvation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.