Amateur-built AURIGA accident near Collegedale, Tennessee, April 11, 1998
On April 11, 1998 at about 10:45 pm local time, a amateur-built AURIGA, registered N311RS, was destroyed in an accident near Collegedale, Tennessee (Collegedale Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A leak in the electric fuel boost pump caused by an improperly sized 'O' ring installation and the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during an approach to a forced landing resulting in a stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 11, 1998 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Collegedale, Tennessee · Collegedale Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AURIGA
- Registration
- N311RS · registry record · serial 028
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft was observed to climb steeply after takeoff and enter a downwind leg for landing. Witnesses heard the aircraft's engine lose power and the pilot transmitted on the Unicom frequency that he had an engine out. The pilot rolled the aircraft to a steep bank angle to enter a base leg and then a final leg. The aircraft overshot the final approach course and the pilot continued to use a steep bank in an attempt to get onto final. As the aircraft approached the final course it rolled rapidly to an inverted position and crashed on a street. The engine was heard to accelerate just prior to impact. Post-crash examination of the engine, propeller, and engine fuel system showed no evidence of pre-crash mechanical failure or malfunction. The electric fuel boost pump switch was found in the on position after the accident. The pump did not operate after the accident. An examination of the pump revealed that the negative power wire had been pulled from the pump motor and was missing. A replacement wire was installed and the motor operated normally. The pump portion of the unit was tested and found to leak from the pump drain. An incorrect O-ring was found installed in the pump. The correct O-ring was installed and the pump operated normally. The manufacturer of the pump reported that the incorrect O-ring would result in the engine-driven fuel pump drawing air into the engine fuel system. Witnesses stated to an FAA inspector that the aircraft had an engine failure several weeks before the accident due to an electric fuel boost pump failure and that the pilot had made repairs to the pump prior to the accident flight.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 5, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3M3 at 10:43 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 4,700 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from CHA, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.