Pilot Debrief

CESSNA P206 near West Creek, NJ — 2017-06-13

Final reportERA17LA205
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Date
2017-06-13
Location
West Creek, NJ, USA
Airport
31E
Aircraft
CESSNA P206
Registration
N206TF
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The pilot's improper fuel management, which resulted in fuel starvation and the subsequent total loss of engine power.

NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was on the second leg of a postmaintenance flight. The first flight leg, which was about 1-hour long, was uneventful, and the pilot reported that the fuel selector was positioned to the right tank during this flight leg. He landed the airplane but did not purchase fuel before departing for the return leg. The pilot reported that, during the return leg, the fuel selector was positioned to the left tank. While on final approach to the airport, the pilot added power to go around. He turned onto the crosswind and then downwind legs of the airport traffic pattern, and while on the downwind leg, the engine lost all power. The pilot switched the fuel selector to the right tank, but engine power was not restored. Realizing that the airplane would be unable to reach the runway, the pilot conducted a forced landing in trees, and the airplane came to rest inverted. During postaccident examination, more than the unusable amount of fuel was drained from the left fuel tank, which was breached in two locations; only about 6 ounces of fuel were drained from the unbreached right fuel tank. No fuel was found in the engine-driven fuel pump or the flow divider, which is indicative of fuel starvation. Examination of the fuel supply system revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The engine was started and operated briefly using the fuel that had been drained from the airplane with no discrepancies noted. Although the pilot stated that he conducted the entire second flight leg with the fuel selector positioned to the left tank and then switched to the right tank after the engine lost power, the fuel selector was found positioned to the left tank, which had more than the unusable amount of fuel. Therefore, it is likely that the pilot was approaching the airport with the fuel selector positioned to the right tank, which ran out of fuel, and that he then switched to the left tank too late to restore engine power. Given this and the lack of fuel in the engine-driven fuel pump and flow divider, it is likely that the pilot mismanaged the fuel, which resulted in the loss of all engine power.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot did not check fuel quantity with dipstick before departure.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents5

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