CEN21LA243

Factual narrative

On May 27, 2021, about 1825 central daylight time, a Vans RV-8 airplane, N274CV, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near San Angelo, Texas. The pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations personal flight. Shortly after takeoff, the airplane came to rest upright, with substantial damage to the fuselage and wings.   The responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector reported that the fuel tanks seemed empty but appeared to have been breached in the accident. The airplane had undergone maintenance with the installation of a Garmin G3 system, and the accident flight was the first flight after the installation. He also noted that the avionic shop drained about 40 gallons of fuel from the tanks and added the fuel back for calibration.   The airplane was recovered to a salvage yard, where the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) conducted an examination. The top set of sparkplugs were removed from each cylinder, and the engine rotated by hand. Continuity through the valve train and to the accessory section was noted. The left and right magnetos were removed and, when rotated, produced a spark on each terminal.   The fuel system was equipped with a fuel flow transducer located in the fuel line between the pressure side of the engine-driven fuel pump and carburetor (see figure 1). The addition of the fuel flow transducer was required to provide fuel flow reading on the new panel. Figure 1: “Red Cube” Fuel Flow Transducer The pressure side of the engine driven fuel pump outflow fitting had two fittings installed. The 3/8’s port was capped off with an AN929 fitting. The other port had a number 4 fitting installed in the fuel line (which ran to the fuel flow transducer – see figure 2 & 3). Figure 2: Fuel Line as it exited to the Engine Driven Fuel Pump Figure 3: Fuel Pump Fittings   Shortly after takeoff, the pilot reported an “engine failure” to the airport tower controller. The airplane impacted terrain off the end of the runway. The airplane came to rest upright, with substantial damage to the fuselage and wings during the accident.   The airplane had undergone maintenance with the installation of a new glass panel system, and the accident flight was the first flight after the installation. The avionic shop drained about 40 gallons of fuel from the tanks and added the fuel back for calibration.   The installation of the glass panel also added a fuel flow transducer tothe fuel line, between the pressure side of the engine driven fuel pump and carburetor. The engine-driven fuel pump outflow fitting had two fittings installed. The 3/8’s port was capped off with an AN929 fitting. The other port had a number 4 reduced flow fitting installed in the fuel line leading to the carburetor (through the fuel flow transducer). The reduced flow fitting would have prevented sufficient fuel flow to the carburetor once the fuel in the carburetor was consumed. The accident is consistent with the loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

• — Personnel issues-Task performance-Maintenance-Installation-Maintenance personnel
• — Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Fuel system-Fuel distribution-Incorrect service/maintenance
• — Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Incorrect service/maintenance