Aero Commander 200 N326WR

Summary

On 26 July 2024 at about 17:24 local time, a Aero Commander 200 registered N326WR was involved in an accident near Valdosta, Georgia, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

26 July 2024 at 17:24

Classification

Accident

Location

Valdosta, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Valdosta Rgnl (VLD)

Coordinates

30.7827, -83.2876

Aircraft

Aero Commander 200

Registration

N326WR

Category

Airplane

Year built

1966

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA24LA331

2 people had minor injuries.

An insect nest in the right main fuel tank’s vent line, which resulted in an inaccurate fuel level reading, fuel starvation, and a total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After filling the fuel tanks, the flight instructor flew the airplane on multiple flights with different fuel tanks selected, including the right main fuel tank, with no discrepancies. The instructor and a pilot who was receiving familiarization training in the airplane then departed with the fuel selector on the right main fuel tank. They performed airwork with the fuel selector on a different tank before switching back to the right main fuel tank for an approach and landing. Before departing again, the pilot and instructor reviewed the fuel quantity indications and decided to keep the fuel selector on the right main tank position because the indicated quantity appeared sufficient to sustain engine operation. After departure, the flight remained in the airport traffic pattern. After turning onto the downwind leg, the engine lost power, regained it momentarily, then lost power completely. Turning on the auxiliary fuel pump did not restore engine power. The flight instructor took control of the airplane and elected to land in a field after determining the airplane could not reach a closed runway at the airport. After touchdown, the airplane bounced then came to an abrupt stop with substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the airplane determined that the right main fuel tank had collapsed inward despite no corresponding damage to the surrounding wing structure and wing skin. Further examination of the right main fuel tank’s fuel vent line utilizing compressed air found that an insect nest had extensively blocked it. This blockage would have prevented air from entering the tank as fuel was consumed and allowed a partial vacuum to develop inside the tank. The inward collapse also trapped the fuel quantity transmitter arm, and resulted in the fuel quantity gauge indicating more fuel than was actually present. As fuel continued to be consumed from the unvented tank, the erroneous fuel quantity indication prevented the flight crew from accurately assessing the remaining usable fuel. Before the takeoff that preceded the loss of engine power, the pilots selected the right main fuel tank based on the indicated fuel quantity, although the tank actually contained insufficient usable fuel. After departure, the engine lost total power due to fuel starvation when the fuel remaining in the selected tank was exhausted. Although the pilots activated the auxiliary fuel pump and the instructor directed the left-seat pilot to select another fuel tank, selection of the right fuel tank did not occur before the pilots’ attention became solely focused on executing the forced landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.