Fuel Exhaustion & Starvation · NTSB WPR14FA165
WILLIAMS MYRON G BOWERS FLY BABY 1A — Mariposa, CA
| Date | April 11, 2014 |
| Location | Mariposa, CA |
| Aircraft | WILLIAMS MYRON G BOWERS FLY BABY 1A (amateur-built) |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Enroute-cruise Aerodynamic stall/spin |
| Pilot age | 80 |
| Pilot total time | 1,800 hrs · Experienced |
| Time in type | 3 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft power plant-Engine fuel and control-Fuel control/carburetor-Incorrect service/maintenance - C
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Training-Recurrent instruct/training-Pilot
What happened
The plans-built single-seat airplane had been constructed about 8 years before the accident by another individual, who had flown it about 30 hours before it was purchased by the current owner/pilot. In the year since the purchase, due to the low build-quality of the airplane, the pilot had made several modifications and repairs to the airplane. The accident flight was the pilot's fifth flight in the airplane. Review of the pilot's flight logbook indicated that his most recent flight review occurred about 7 years before the accident and that he had flown only 15 hours in the 2 years before the accident.
A witness reported that shortly after takeoff, when the airplane was about 3 miles from the airport, the engine began making a sound as if power was intermittently being interrupted. The nose of the airplane began to pitch up aggressively as it flew out of view. The wreckage location, wreckage distribution, and impact signatures indicated that the airplane struck the ground in a steep nose-low attitude, consistent with an aerodynamic stall event.
Postaccident examination of the carburetor revealed multiple maintenance-related discrepancies, any one of which could have resulted in the loss of engine power. Additionally, before the accident, the pilot reported to a friend that the airspeed indicator was not reliable and that the airplane exhibited roll control anomalies. Both of these conditions would have hindered the pilot's ability to safely operate the airplane.