Pilot Debrief

BELLANCA 17 30A near Sweetwater, TX — 2014-04-27

Final reportCEN14FA219
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Date
2014-04-27
Location
Sweetwater, TX, USA
Aircraft
BELLANCA 17 30A
Registration
N9759E
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1
Phase of flight
Cruise

Probable cause

The pilot’s inadequate inflight fuel management, which led to a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion or starvation.

NTSB narrative

The pilot departed on a cross-country flight, making one stop to drop off one of two passengers. During the stop, the pilot reported topping off all three fuel tanks; he then departed on the accident flight. He stated that the airplane could fly 4 hours 45 minutes with fuel in reserve. However, on the day of the accident, 30mph headwinds were present. After flying for 3 hours 12 minutes primarily using the right fuel tanks, the engine lost full power about 2 miles from the destination airport. The pilot switched the fuel selector valve to the left tank and attempted to restart the engine but did not use the fuel boost pump as called for in the airplane flight manual. The airplane subsequently impacted trees and terrain short of the airport. The pilot was wearing a seat belt and shoulder harness and sustained minor injuries. The passenger had a shoulder harness available, but was seated in a reclined position with only the lap belt fastened during the accident sequence. She sustained fatal injuries during the impact. Examination of the wreckage revealed the engine was not producing power at impact. The fuel tanks were ruptured during impact and only a small amount of fuel was found in the tanks; however, no evidence of fuel spillage or fuel blighting to surrounding vegetation was present. Thus, the amount of fuel present at the time of the accident could not be determined. Based on the pilot's statements and on-scene evidence, the pilot did not adequately manage the airplane fuel, which resulted in a total loss of engine power. Although the airplane's range was greater than that flown on the day of the accident, the headwinds would have significantly shortened the range, which, when combined with the lack of fuel on-scene, would support fuel exhaustion. However, the pilot did not use the fuel boost pump to assist with restarting the engine, as called for in the airplane flight manual, which would support fuel starvation. Thus, the loss of engine power was due to either fuel exhaustion or starvation, which could not be determined because the fuel tanks were breached.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot did not use fuel boost pump during engine restart attempt after switching tanks.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 7 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents7

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