Auster 4, G-ANHS, 17 September 2010

Auster 4, G-ANHS

Summary:

Whilst joining the circuit to land, the pilot selected the fuel selector from the belly tank to the main tank for landing as required by normal procedures. The engine immediately faltered and appeared to cut out; reselecting the belly tank had no effect. He declared an emergency with Cottesmore Tower and was immediately cleared to land on Runway 22. The aircraft landed heavily and the landing gear collapsed, but both occupants were uninjured and able to vacate the aircraft normally. The pilot reported that the fuel tanks still contained approximately 7 gallons of fuel and that he suspects an airlock may have developed during the change in tank selection. He also commented that after the engine failure, the rate of descent appeared to increase markedly when the propeller stopped rotating.

This overview has been truncated. Please refer to the official documents below for the complete canonical report.

23 © Crown copyright 2011 AAIB Bulletin: 2/2011 G-ANHS EW/G2011/09/18 ACCIDENT Aircraft Type and Registration: Auster 4, G-ANHS No & Type of Engines: 1 Lycoming O-290-3 piston engine Year of Manufacture: 1942 Date & Time (UTC): 17 September 2010 at 0754 hrs Location: RAF Cottesmore, Rutland Type of Flight: Private Persons on Board: Crew - 1 Passengers - 1 Injuries: Crew - None Passengers - None Nature of Damage: Collapsed landing gear and damage to wing struts Commander’s Licence: Private Pilot’s Licence Commander’s Age: 45 years Commander’s Flying Experience: 481 hours (of which 187 were on type) Last 90 days - 23 hours Last 28 days - 10 hours Information Source: Aircraft Accident Report Form submitted by the pilot Whilst joining the circuit to land, the pilot selected the fuel selector from the belly tank to the main tank for landing as required by normal procedures. The engine immediately faltered and appeared to cut out; reselecting the belly tank had no effect. He declared an emergency with Cottesmore Tower and was immediately cleared to land on Runway 22. The aircraft landed heavily and the landing gear collapsed, but both occupants were uninjured and able to vacate the aircraft normally. The pilot reported that the fuel tanks still contained approximately 7 gallons of fuel and that he suspected an airlock may have developed during the change in tank selection. He also commented that after the engine failure, the rate of descent appeared to increase markedly when the propeller stopped rotating.

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