Pilot Debrief

BEECH A23 near Miami, FL — 2023-01-28

Final reportERA23LA119
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Date
2023-01-28
Location
Miami, FL, USA
Aircraft
BEECH A23
Registration
N16TH
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Descent

Probable cause

The pilot’s mismanagement of fuel supply, which resulted in fuel starvation.

NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, he was on a local flight at an altitude of 1,000 ft when he noticed the engine starting to lose power. The pilot said he switched fuel tanks, but engine power was not regained. The pilot conducted an emergency landing on a road and the airplane collided with a bus and then a pole. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel tanks were intact, and that the left fuel only contained a residual amount of fuel, while about 10 gallons of fuel remained in the right fuel tank. An engine test run was then attempted at the accident site, and the engine ran normally using the right fuel tank but did not run consistently with the left fuel tank selected. Based on this information, it is likely that the pilot mismanaged the airplane’s fuel supply and starved the engine of fuel, which resulted in the total loss of engine power and subsequent forced landing.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked fuel levels before departure to ensure adequate fuel.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents4

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