Pilot Debrief

STINSON L 5 near San Marcos, TX — 2016-11-06

Final reportCEN17LA036
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Date
2016-11-06
Location
San Marcos, TX, USA
Airport
HYI
Aircraft
STINSON L 5
Registration
N4252K
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

The pilot’s improper fuel management before landing, which resulted in fuel starvation and the subsequent total loss of engine power during a subsequent go-around when the fuel became unported during the climbing turn.

NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that the airplane bounced while landing on the runway, so he conducted a go-around. During climbout, the engine lost power at 500 ft above ground level. The pilot turned the airplane to land on another runway; however, the airplane was not able to reach the runway, so he landed on wet grass between the runways. Upon touchdown, the left main landing gear collapsed when it dug into the soft terrain, and the airplane nosed over. The pilot reported that, for the entire flight, he had the fuel selector positioned on the left tank. The pilot added that the airplane usually burned between 9 and 10 gallons of fuel per hour. Therefore, given the flight was about 1 hour 22 minutes long and the tank held 15 gallons of usable fuel, the left tank probably contained about 2 to 3 gallons of usable fuel at the time of the accident. The right fuel tank was full. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that there was no fuel in the fuel line leading into the engine. The position of the fuel pick-up line in the wing would have allowed the fuel in the wing to unport during the climbing turn. Given the low fuel level in the selected left fuel tank, it is likely that the fuel supply to the engine was interrupted during the climbing turn. If the pilot had selected the full right fuel tank, the loss of power would likely not have occurred.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot should have switched fuel tanks before landing.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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