Amateur-built Nieuport II N112GV accident near Talladega, Alabama

Probable cause

A total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion after the pilot inadvertently kicked a fuel line during turbulence, which resulted in a forced landing into trees.

NTSB analysis

The sport pilot filled his experimental amateur-built airplane with 10 gallons of fuel before the cross-country flight. During the 55-minute flight, the airplane used about 3 gallons of fuel. During the return flight, the pilot climbed the airplane to 5,000 ft mean sea level to avoid "bad" turbulence. Shortly thereafter, the pilot noticed the fuel gauge was indicating 4 gallons and quickly fell to 0 gallons before the engine lost all power. The pilot made a forced landing on top of the trees bordering a road with traffic then collided with the terrain adjacent to the road, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane’s left wing and fuselage.

Postaccident examination revealed that the fuel line to the sump, which was installed underneath the instrument panel between the rudder pedals, was broken. During the turbulence, the pilot likely inadvertently kicked the fuel line with his steel-toe boots, shearing it off at the fuel line connection barb, resulting in fuel exhaustion.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA19TA254 for the full record.