The Ryan Navion A pilot reported that, after a night cross-country flight, he overflew his private airport near New Waverly, Texas, at 1,500 feet above mean sea level (MSL) to see if the solar lights were working.
Unable to see the lights, he climbed to 2,000 feet and turned left towards Conroe. He stated that while in the turn, “the engine started to cut out,” and he initiated the emergency procedures checklist.
Unable to get the engine power restored, he initiated a forced landing.
He lowered the landing gear at 500 feet and turned on the landing lights, but at 400 feet, a tree appeared in front of his right wing. The airplane hit several trees before hitting the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and both wings.
The pilot sustained minor injuries in the crash.
The pilot told investigators that on the flight before the accident, the airplane had about 89.5 gallons of fuel distributed between a main tank (39.5 gallons), tip tanks (40 gallons), and an auxiliary baggage compartment tank (10 gallons). At the conclusion of that flight, about 45 gallons of fuel remained. He stated that before the accident flight, he added 52 additional gallons, which brought the total fuel on board to about 100 gallons.
When the airplane was recovered, the fuel tanks were drained and a small fuel sample was captured in a clear glass jar. After allowing time for any particulates to settle, it was discovered that a dark green sediment was present in the fuel sample.
During a post-accident examination, a material consistent with the sediment from the jar was located in the fuel manifold distributor.
Probable Cause: A total loss of engine power as a result of fuel contamination.
NTSB Identification: 107047
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This April 2023 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
