At 20:30 eastern time, a Bellanca 7KCAB lost engine power in cruise flight and was damaged during a forced landing on a road in Hudson. The pilot reported no injuries. The flight originated in Rochester, Wisc., and was en route to Wilmington, Del. The pilot said the airplane had just had new wings installed at the American Champion Aircraft Co. and he was taking the airplane to Delaware. The airplane lost power and he landed on a road, but a wheel went into a pothole and the right main landing gear was pushed aft. Examination showed the right fuel tank was empty and the left tank was full. The airplane is equipped with only an on/off fuel selector. The two fuel pickup ports in the left fuel tank were completely blocked with an unknown material.
June 26, Hudson, Mich. / Bellanca Decathlon
At 20:30 eastern time, a Bellanca 7KCAB lost engine power in cruise flight and was damaged during a forced landing on a road in Hudson. The pilot reported no injuries. The flight originated in Rochester, Wisc., and was en route to Wilmington, Del. The pilot said the airplane had just had new wings installed at the American Champion Aircraft Co. and he was taking the airplane to Delaware. The airplane lost power and he landed on a road, but a wheel went into a pothole and the right main landing gear was pushed aft. Examination showed the right fuel tank was empty and the left tank was full. The airplane is equipped with only an on/off fuel selector. The two fuel pickup ports in the left fuel...
Key Takeaways:
- A Bellanca 7KCAB experienced engine failure in cruise flight, resulting in a forced landing on a road in Hudson that damaged the aircraft, though the pilot was uninjured.
- Investigation revealed the right fuel tank was empty, and both fuel pickup ports in the full left tank were completely blocked by an unknown material.
- The aircraft's simple on/off fuel selector, without a tank-specific option, prevented access to the fuel in the blocked left tank once the right tank was depleted, leading to fuel starvation.
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