Pilot Debrief

Grumman AA5 near Tallahassee, FL — 2020-01-21

Final reportERA20LA084
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Date
2020-01-21
Location
Tallahassee, FL, USA
Aircraft
Grumman AA5
Registration
N424WB
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Cruise

Probable cause

The pilot's improper fuel planning, resulting in fuel exhaustion and a total loss of engine power in cruise flight.

NTSB narrative

The pilot filled the airplane with 51 gallons of useable of fuel before he and the passenger departed for a round-trip cross-country flight. They flew approximately 4 hours to the destination airport. Later in the day, they departed for the return flight without fueling the airplane. The pilot stated he was going to stop somewhere along the route and get fuel but did not know where. While flying at 10,500 ft, about 1.5 hours into the flight, the engine sputtered. The pilot pushed in the mixture control full forward and turned on the electric fuel pump. The engine ran for a couple seconds and started sputtering again. Shortly after, the engine lost total power. The pilot then primed and restarted the engine. The engine started and ran for a few seconds and lost total power again. He further stated the left fuel gauge did not work and right fuel gauge indicated 1/4 tank when the engine lost power. The pilot declared an emergency and prepared for an off-airport landing. He saw a small sand pit that was surrounded by trees and slipped the airplane to lose altitude; however, the left wing contacted trees and impacted terrain. Examination at the accident site revealed that both fuel tanks were empty, and no smell of fuel was present. Detailed examination of the engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operations. Given this information, and the airplane’s expected endurance of about 5 flight hours, it is most likely that the engine lost power after all available fuel was exhausted.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot did not refuel as planned during the flight, leading to fuel exhaustion.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents9

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