Indus Aviation Inc T-211 THORPEDO N107JF incident near La Porte, Indiana

Probable cause

A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of siphoning from the fuel filler neck and cap. Contributing to the incident were the fuel over-servicing which resulted in the siphoning condition, and the ASTM standards which allowed for the fuel tank filler neck/vent design.

NTSB analysis

The light sport airplane landed at an airport for a fuel stop during a positioning flight. According to the pilot, the airplane departed on the remainder of the positioning flight and "42 [minutes] into [the] flight at [4,500 feet] the engine stopped." The pilot performed a successful forced landing to a soybean field, with no injuries or damage to the aircraft. A postincident inspection of the airplane showed that the fuel gauge indicated 16 gallons of fuel, yet there was no fuel in the fuel tank. It was later discovered that the airplane had been over-serviced with fuel contrary to a service notification warning that a siphoning condition could occur as a result of over-servicing. Following the investigation the manufacturer modified the fuel filler neck and fuel cap and subsequently issued a service bulletin informing owners of the modification. The airplane was certified to ASTM consensus standards that allowed for the airplane's fuel filler neck design.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CHI08IA294 for the full record.