Amateur-built LANCAIR/MKII N246AK accident near Crivitz, Wisconsin

Probable cause

The improper installation of the hose fuel fitting, which resulted in the fitting becoming disconnected and the subsequent loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that, about 10 to 15 minutes after takeoff in the single-engine airplane, he smelled fuel in the cockpit, and the airplane's fuel pressure gauge read 0. He activated the electric fuel boost pump, but the fuel pressure reading remained 0. At this point, the engine lost power, and the pilot subsequently executed a wheels-up forced landing to a field.

Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the inlet hose to the mechanical fuel pump was not connected; the hose fitting and the fuel pump's mating fitting were not damaged. Based on the available evidence, it is likely that the hose fuel fitting was not properly installed, which allowed the fitting to vibrate loose during operation until it became disconnected and resulted in the loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Because the hose fitting was found higher than the fuel tanks, fuel would not have leaked from the hose while the airplane was parked. Therefore, the pilot would not have been able to detect the discrepancy during preflight examination of the airplane.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN14LA241 for the full record.