Amateur-built Coyote N125MC accident near Jamul, California

Probable cause

A total loss of engine power due to an obstructed fuel line and fuel starvation, which resulted in a forced landing and collision with a fence. Contributing to the accident was the long duration of aircraft storage that allowed for contaminants to develop and the design of the fuel system that did not include filtration.

NTSB analysis

The pilot and passenger flew a local flight, landed, and refueled the airplane. After refueling, they departed and, shortly into the airplane’s climb, encountered various fluctuations in power before the engine lost all power. During the subsequent forced landing, the airplane impacted a fence, which resulted in a collapse of the left main landing gear and substantial damage to the left wing.

Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed an obstruction in the fuel line from the airplane’s header tank to the engine. At the time of disassembly, the fitting was completely obstructed with brown/red deposits derived from old/evaporated fuel. The fuel type was not determined. The fuel tanks were not equipped with fuel screens and the header tank did not contain any filter or fuel sump to collect these remnants. This evidence suggests that dried fuel in the wing tanks likely formed the blockage in the fuel fitting when the airplane was operated following 14 years of inactivity, which resulted in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR20LA234 for the full record.