Amateur-built KR-2S N811RJ accident near Glendale, Arizona

Probable cause

A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of a reduced fuel flow to the engine resulting from a misrouted fuel tank vent line, during initial climb.

NTSB analysis

The pilot of the experimental homebuilt airplane reported that this was its inaugural flight. The pilot reported that immediately after takeoff, at approximately 300 feet above ground level, the airspeed began to decrease. He lowered the airplane's nose to maintain airspeed when he then noticed that the engine's rpm was also decreasing. He performed a forced landing straight ahead, and during the roll out, the airplane impacted a berm. Both wings were displaced aft and the bottom of the fuselage was broken. The owner/builder of the airplane reported that the airplane's fuel tank was located between the firewall and the instrument panel. The fuel tank's vent line passed through the firewall into the engine compartment and terminated near the bottom of the aircraft. This was the same location that the engine's cooling air flow exited the engine compartment. The builder believed that the exiting airflow may have created a negative pressure in the fuel tank, which would have reduced the fuel flow to the engine during flight. Two Federal Aviation Administration inspectors examined the experimental Corvair 164 CID engine with the pilot. No anomalies that would have prevented normal engine operation was found.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR10LA039 for the full record.