At about 1655 eastern time, a homebuilt RV-6A crashed approximately 715 feet from the approach end of runway 31 after losing engine power during a practice instrument approach. The pilot suffered minor injuries. The pilot said he had switched tanks about an hour into his flight, and about 15 minutes after switching tanks the engine lost partial power. He applied more throttle and initiated the instrument approach. During his prelanding checklist, he turned on the auxiliary pump, applied carb heat and reduced power. The engine then quit smoothly as if the mixture had been pulled. He tried to restart the engine unsuccessfully. When he realized he would be unable to make the runway, he lowered full flaps and slowed to just above stall speed. The airplane came to rest inverted and the pilot evacuated the airplane by cutting a portion of the canopy with a survival tool.
January 01, Peachtree City, Ga. / RV-6A
At about 1655 eastern time, a homebuilt RV-6A crashed approximately 715 feet from the approach end of runway 31 after losing engine power during a practice instrument approach. The pilot suffered minor injuries. The pilot said he had switched tanks about an hour into his flight, and about 15 minutes after switching tanks the engine lost partial power. He applied more throttle and initiated the instrument approach. During his prelanding checklist, he turned on the auxiliary pump, applied carb heat and reduced power. The engine then quit smoothly as if the mixture had been pulled. He tried to restart the engine unsuccessfully. When he realized he would be unable to make the runway, he lowered...
Key Takeaways:
- A homebuilt RV-6A crashed near the runway after experiencing engine power loss during a practice instrument approach.
- The engine issues began approximately 15 minutes after the pilot switched fuel tanks, fully quitting when power was reduced during the prelanding checklist.
- The pilot attempted an unsuccessful restart and then executed a controlled crash just short of the runway, inverting the aircraft.
- The pilot sustained minor injuries and evacuated the inverted aircraft using a survival tool.
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