| Crash location | 33.290000°N, 97.836111°W |
| Nearest city | Chico, TX
33.295946°N, 97.798924°W 2.2 miles away |
| Tail number | N257B |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 05 Jul 2015 |
| Aircraft type | Colonial C 1 |
| Additional details: | None |
On July 5, 2015, about 1815 central daylight time, a Colonial C-1 Skimmer amphibious airplane, N257B, made a hard forced landing near Chico, Texas. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the pilot received serious injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane departed the Bridgeport Municipal Airport (XBP), Bridgeport, Texas, about 1810, and was en route to the Bowie Municipal Airport (0F2), Bowie, Texas.
The pilot reported that he had flown the airplane 8-10 times after the most recent refueling. On the day of the accident he intended to refuel the airplane at 0F2. Prior to departure the fuel quantity gauge indicated about 3/8 full of fuel. About 5 minutes after departure the engine power reduced to 1,700 rpm and then 1,000 rpm. He identified an open field for a forced landing; the airplane landed hard. The pilot stated that the fuel bladder had come unsnapped from the wing which allowed the fuel quantity transmitter to give a false reading.
The pilot stated that when he bought the airplane, he also repaired and reassembled it.
According to the responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the airplane sustained damage to the fuselage. The fuel bladder tanks were collapsed and a small amount of unmeasured fuel was observed. The fuel system remained intact and there was no evidence of a fuel spill at the accident site. During the postaccident examination, the FAA inspector stated the main fuel line to the engine was loosened and the electric fuel pump operated; fuel flowed freely from the open fuel line. The fuel line was reconnected and the engine starter was initiated. The engine immediately started and operated until the remaining trapped fuel was exhausted. The wings were rocked up and down to free more trapped fuel and the engine restarted. The engine operated normally with no apparent mechanical anomalies until the remaining fuel was exhausted. Flight control continuity was confirmed to all flight and engine controls.
A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the unsnapped fuel bladder, which resulted in an inaccurate fuel quantity indication, and the pilot’s inadequate preflight fuel planning, during which he relied solely on the fuel gauges to determine the amount of fuel on board.