The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

December 3, 2007

NTSB: Crashed WWI-replica plane’s tanks weren’t full

By Monica Pryts

GREENE TOWNSHIP — The National Transportation Safety Board has released a report on the July 13 plane crash that seriously injured Greenville pilot Fred Murrin.

Murrin, 57, is well-known for building World War I replica planes. He spent nearly two weeks in the hospital after the crash and said in October that he was almost fully recovered.

According to the report:

At 8:45 p.m., Murrin’s experimental Sopwith F1 lost power after he aborted a landing attempt and tried to fly around the landing strip at Greenville Municipal Airport, Greene Township.

In a telephone interview with a Safety Board investigator, Murrin said that on the day of the crash, the plane’s fuel tanks were about a quarter full.

He left the airport for a pleasure flight and when he changed his mind about the landing, he tried to perform a go-around maneuver. Murrin applied full power but the engine didn’t respond. He pumped the manual fuel pressure handle a few times and the engine regained power for about 10 seconds.

The engine then lost all power and crashed in a cornfield near the airport.

Murrin said that during previous flights, he was concerned that the fuel system may not be able to provide enough fuel pressure to supply the engine. He performed flight tests in various phases, including go-arounds, and at various altitudes.

During those tests, he was able to achieve dependable engine performance and the fuel tank was full before each of those flights.

On the day of the crash, the quarter-tank of fuel on the plane didn’t provide the pressure that existed on previous flights, Murrin said. He designed the fuel system to replicate the original Sopwith F1 airplane.

Federal Aviation Administration information on the certification and operation of amateur-built aircraft says: “Amateur builders are free to develop their own designs or build from existing designs. We do not approve these designs and it would be impractical to develop design standards for the wide variety of design configurations created by designers, kit manufacturers and amateur builders.”

Murrin is currently in New Zealand helping a man restore a plane.

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