Pilot Debrief

BEECH G35 near Knoxville, TN — 2008-09-06

Final reportNYC08LA306
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Date
2008-09-06
Location
Knoxville, TN, USA
Airport
DKX
Aircraft
BEECH G35
Registration
N4403D
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The pilot's improper fuel consumption calculations which resulted in total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

NTSB narrative

The pilot departed with 15-20 gallons of fuel for the approximately 1 hour round-trip flight to a nearby airport. The outbound leg of the trip was the airplane's first flight since an annual inspection. Prior to the inspection, the airplane was not flown much and the fuel in the airplane was "old." The pilot performed a pre-flight inspection during which he sumped the fuel tanks and noted no contamination. During the return leg of the trip, as the airplane turned onto final approach for the airport, the engine lost power, which "sounded like the airplane quit getting gas to the engine." When the pilot realized he could not make it to the runway, he prepared for a forced landing to a river. The airplane "stalled" above the water, and after it touched down, both occupants egressed and swam to shore. Examination of the airplane after recovery from the river revealed both fuel tanks were empty. The pilot reported that the airplane burned approximately 10 gallons of fuel per hour; however, the airplane's Owner's Manual stated the engine consumed 13.6 – 14.1 gallons per hour.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Selecting the left fuel tank without ensuring adequate fuel was available.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 5 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents5

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