I Found The REAL Reason My Plane Crashed

[@tadwicks2709]

Looks like leaf rollers, a tiny insect that packs leaves into small holes and then lays their eggs in them. The fitting had to open for some time to allow them in. Around here any small hole is a potential problem but the worst are air chucks and torch welding tips, I have to cap them or they will look just like what you had.

[@gawebm]

Time to drain and scope both fuel tanks and probably replace all fuel lines. That's the only way to be sure you got all of this stuff out of the system. The gascolater was not the initial entry point of the detritus.

[@jackielinde7568]

I think most of the fuel system has been replaced by now. But this is a good indicator that the rest needs tending to.

[@glennwatson]

Yeah he has videos of replacing the fuel lines

[@flywiththeguys]

I've flushed the tanks already and replaced all the fuel lines. New Fuel selector, filter, boost pump, and fuel pump. New throttle body too because we went to fuel injection. =)

[@davids.682]

Not leaves! 2 possibe sources for the contamination. Residue from old auto gas that accumulated on the tank walls, then got loosened from flying again, or the tanks had been slosh sealed at some point, and it has separated. Be sure to inspect the inside of the tanks. Don't just flush them.

[@stubby4317]

Leaf cutter bees? Was the system open for a while? Interesting find. My old cessna still has the glass gascolator, so I can see inside of it. That was beneficial once upon a time.

[@jimmydulin928]

I helped replace a fuel tank on my pipeline patrol 172 at Sweetwater, Texas. It was a used tank and had no tape over the inlet and was not shiny like it had been steam cleaned. I flew my pipeline to the tanks at Mecham Field, deadhead to Caddo Mills, pipeline to Mt. Pleasant, deadhead to Longview, pipeline to Vicksburg, deadhead to Jackson, pipeline to Patoka, St. Louis, and Shell Ozark Pipeline to Lebanon, Mo. On takeoff from Lebanon, the engine quit while I was still in my default six inches low ground effect acceleration until cruise airspeed. I landed on the runway remaining. We found mouse hair in the thimble filter going into the carburetor and a dead mouse in the tank we had replaced.

[@PDZ1122]

Airplanes don't crash from lack of fuel. It makes the engine stop. The pilot then proceeds to crash the airplane.

[@Art-Dean]

Mud dobber nest,those lines were left open to nature a long time!

[@davidcook7816]

YEP

[@Blaircraft.Engines]

Exactly...

[@wyattevans2118]

Hello sir, the rough story told is correct. Im the guys son that put that airplane in all those years ago…. We’ve still got the wheel pants for that aircraft if you’re interested. The bush wheels were for operation out of an unimproved runway that was owned by one of our mentors. If you’d like to know more info let me know.

[@flywiththeguys]

Yes!!!! I would love to chat and maybe get those wheel pants off you!!! Man, that sounded weird. But, please message me over on our website so I can get your co tact info - flywiththeguys.com

[@craig7083]

That may have been the cause of the engine failure, but not the cause of the crash. I check my gascolator and carburetor at every annual and blow air through the fuel system. Glad you walked away.

[@scottsdaleazsteve]

Most definitely leaf cutter bees. We get them all the time in our yard in Arizona. They lay their eggs in the leaf tubes, and will place the tubes in seat cushions, folded beach towels, and any small cylindrical objects they can squeeze into (like that aluminum fitting).

[@jackielinde7568]

I saw the thumbnail and thought, "But, wait! Wasn't he still rebuilding the plane? Did he forget something and crashed his toy?" Glad it was a prior accident, and no one was hurt.

[@flywiththeguys]

Me too. It's just crazy to find it all these years later.

[@jackielinde7568]

@@flywiththeguys So the guy misses some maintenance issues, crashes his plane, parks it for a while and then sells it to you. That checks out. This might be a sign that the plane really needs a once over with a fine-tooth comb, just in case there are other "surprises" for you to find. Better to be careful and wait longer to fly that new airplane than have a "Rescue Rebuild" situation. Even if the aircraft is replaceable, you and whomever flys it isn't.

[@flywiththeguys]

@@jackielinde7568 IA inspection for sure! And my plane isn't nearly as complicated as the one RR built. But I got the plane from a salvage yard.

[@jackielinde7568]

@@flywiththeguys To be fair, I've seen some of his automotive content before he got involved with planes and some of the early stuff involving the 401 project he's still working on. He's a shade tree auto mechanic with a shade tree auto mechanic's mindset to Aviation. (I'm familiar with this mindset, as my dad has a similar mindset. And the wrecking yard for a home to prove it.) I stopped watching the 401 project because I didn't like the way he did things. Having seen your approach to this plane (and your aviation videos), I'd have no problems flying in a plane you worked on or you were piloting. And I'd love to hire you to fly myself, my daughter, and her boyfriend to a fly in restaurant for the experience. Sadly, she's still at ASU, and they told her that her +1 year is going to cost over $50K. (Because her degree is Engineering Mgmt, they're doing the +1 year through Thunderbird School of Intl. Mgmt.) But she'll have a Thunderbird Masters when she's done, so Yay???

[@VeRSINGOnTheGo]

Great catch!!

[@FlyingEyesWorld]

That's super interesting! Great detective work, Columbo 😎

[@flywiththeguys]

Thanks! 😃

[@martind181968]

Hmmm, could that debris be from the cork used as the fuel rod indicator on the screw cap ? Just wondering. Good luck with your nice Cub !

[@jamesburns2232]

More than likely the wobble pump is simply the primer, which he could pump in and out slowly to keep the engine running. 🤠

[@davidnelson4707]

a great find, so when was the fuel bowl last cleaned?. i would be really flushing the fuel system really clean. i would change over the gaserlater to a ‘’ steve’s gaserlator

[@flywiththeguys]

We have an all new everything. Only thing remaining original was the fuel tanks, which have been flushed.

[@nuclearscarab]

Always just called that a sediment bowl. Good thing to check if you are planning on going upside down!

[@flywiththeguys]

I know right! It was cool to put all the pieces together though. =)

[@Bob-cd5pp]

Good Work

[@Joe-u2h]

I've been working at a site where they fly similar planes. It's cool to watch the video and pleased all were ok

[@flywiththeguys]

Me too!

[@jmcguire5151]

I thought it was a joint at first.

[@judsonsdiscretionarymetalw5866]

Unless the fuel lines were still intact, I would say that that was not the cause of fuel starvation. Those leaf cutter bees made that after the crash and the lines were left open and accessible. Better keep looking for the cause!

[@thomasaltruda]

Do you think they could have avoided this if they drained the gascolator on the preflight and serviced it on the annual? Also that looks to be the outlet of the fuel pump, not the inlet.. I would think that debris would have had a better chance of getting stuck on the inlet side.. and if it made it though the mechanical pump, then it would have gotten impacted into the fuel injection screen.

[@ryanwest2825]

Whats the deal with the FAA/NTSB when something like this happens? Do they investigate? Self report? How has that side of things been?

[@Aerialphotovito]

amazing how fuel got through at all

[@Jeffrey-Flys]

So... he was inverted and tobacco farming at the same time? ;-)

[@jackielinde7568]

How else would one tend to their crops in a plane. It's not like the plane had a trap door on the bottom.

[@edschmitt541]

Looks very much like debri left by leaf cutter bees. Have seen a lot of that.

[@flysport_tedder]

3:00 looks like someone was hiding their doobie.

[@flywiththeguys]

LOL. I know right!?

[@billmossinger219]

Did you save that debris... if so take it to a college and have plant & soil sciences dept do analysis on it... it might be degregated due to the 100LL but maybe not.

[@flywiththeguys]

No. I brushed it onto the floor afterwards. Thought maybe i should have kept it, displayed it or something.

[@billmossinger219]

That's a shame, oh the curiosity now...lol

[@kr6dr]

Wood borer bees have made a nest in your fuel line. It’s not uncommon.

[@65LB]

Wasp Nest?

[@chippyjohn1]

Looks like a wasp nest.

[@wreckum56]

Leaf cutter bees.

[@jamesavery6015]

Gravity

[@scottmacdougall2843]

The fitting being wrong and that fuel screen 🤦 people are lazy and stupid

[@jamesburns2232]

There are good A&P mechanics out there and then there are just opportunists trying to make a buck off of you. Whoever put that screen, gasket, and fitting on were just opportunists. 🤠

[@charlesmetz4384]

'promo sm'

[@timothybruggeman9332]

Corroborates. Not collaborates. Just saying...🤣

[@flywiththeguys]

You say potato I say tomato! LOL. Thanks for the correction. =)

[@briansilcox5720]

Corroborates the story…