Pilot Debrief

PREISS VANS RV-9A near Hobart, OK — 2014-09-29

Final reportCEN14LA526
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Date
2014-09-29
Location
Hobart, OK, USA
Airport
KHBR
Aircraft
PREISS VANS RV-9A
Registration
N259H
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Descent

Probable cause

A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, which resulted from the pilot's erroneous preflight fuel calculations and inadequate in-flight fuel management.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, during his preflight calculations, he estimated that sufficient fuel was onboard the airplane to fly it to his intended destination with a 30-minute reserve. About 10 minutes from the destination airport, the fuel in the left tank was depleted, so the pilot switched to the right tank; the fuel monitor indicated that 5 gallons of fuel were remaining in the right tank. The pilot reported that, with an estimated fuel consumption rate of 6 gallons per hour, he was confident that he would reach the destination airport with fuel to spare. About 5 minutes from the airport, the fuel monitor indicated that 3 gallons of fuel were remaining in the right tank. Shortly thereafter and 2 miles east of the destination, the engine lost power. The pilot made a forced landing in a field and allowed the airplane to land hard to avoid an incipient stall. After the accident, the pilot reported that the airplane had run out of fuel. Examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel tanks were empty.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have landed with more fuel reserve before reaching HBR.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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