Pilot Debrief

CHAMPION 7ECA near Talkeetna, AK — 2015-09-21

Final reportGAA15LA284
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Date
2015-09-21
Location
Talkeetna, AK, USA
Airport
TKA
Aircraft
CHAMPION 7ECA
Registration
N9132L
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to properly calculate the fuel consumption rate and to properly monitor the fuel status in flight and his decision to continue the flight despite signs of an engine problem, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and a subsequent forced landing.

NTSB narrative

The airline transport pilot reported that, before the flight, he topped off both fuel tanks. The pilot subsequently began conducting stop-and-go and touch-and-go landings at a local airport to gain tailwheel time. He reported that, after takeoff from a stop-and-go landing, the engine suddenly failed. The pilot attempted to troubleshoot the loss of engine power but was unsuccessful. During the forced landing beyond the departure end of the runway, the airplane's wings struck trees, and the fuselage impacted terrain at a steep, left-wing-low attitude. The pilot reported that, at the time of the total loss of engine power, he had 1 hour of fuel remaining, the left wing fuel gauge was covered by headliner material and was not visible, and the right fuel gauge indicated a quarter full. The pilot added that, during the flight, the engine "ran rough" a few times and that, once during the flight, the engine "dropped a couple of hundred revolutions per minute." The owner/operator reported that, during rental operations, customers were informed "to plan on a 7 gallon per hour fuel burn" and that the airplane had a 26-gallon fuel capacity. He estimated that the pilot had been operating the airplane for just over 4 hours at the time of the accident. Despite the pilot's statement, during examination of the wreckage at the accident site, no usable fuel was found in the fuel tanks, and no fuel was found on the ground. Based on the evidence, the pilot did properly calculate the fuel consumption rate, likely failing to take into account the extra fuel burned during the multiple touch-and-go and stop-and-go landings, and he did not properly monitor the fuel in flight, which led to him continuing to fly the airplane until the fuel was exhausted despite signs of an engine problem and resulted in the subsequent total loss of engine power.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents6

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