Pilot Debrief

BEECH C23 near Delano, CA — 2016-05-14

Final reportWPR16LA113
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Date
2016-05-14
Location
Delano, CA, USA
Aircraft
BEECH C23
Registration
N3724Y
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Cruise

Probable cause

The student pilot’s inadequate preflight and inflight fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

NTSB narrative

The student pilot was on a multi-leg, solo, cross-country flight. He stated that, while in cruise on the last leg of the flight, the engine began to sputter, so he switched the fuel selector from the right tank position to the left tank position. Shortly after switching fuel tanks, the engine experienced a total loss of power and the student performed a forced landing to an orange orchard. First responders reported that there was no fuel leaking from the airplane, and no fuel was observed in the airplane's fuel tanks. The student stated that, before the flight, he had filled the fuel tanks to the filler tabs, which equated to 37.4 total gallons of useable fuel. Review of performance information for the airplane revealed that the airplane would have used about 35.4 gallons of fuel at the time of the accident. However, variations in wind or engine power settings may have resulted in a higher fuel consumption on the accident flight. In a subsequent interview, the student pilot stated that he had exhausted the fuel in the right tank and could not restart the engine before the forced landing.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked fuel levels before departure to prevent fuel exhaustion.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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