Pilot Debrief

THATCHER CX4 near West Palm Beach, FL — 2023-04-24

Final reportERA23LA206
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Date
2023-04-24
Location
West Palm Beach, FL, USA
Aircraft
THATCHER CX4
Registration
N7555X
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Descent

Probable cause

The loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

NTSB narrative

The pilot was flying the airplane on a cross-country flight, and reported that while approaching the destination airport the engine lost power during the final descent. The airplane subsequently collided with trees during a forced landing to a golf course. No evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the automotive conversion engine were noted during the postaccident examination. The examination also showed that the airplane’s fuel tank was intact and was void of fuel. Additionally, while the engine was separated from the firewall (thus compromising the integrity of the fuel system), there were no indications of fuel spillage around the airplane during the on-scene examination. While the pilot stated that he had fuel the airplane during a fuel stop near the mid-point of the planned route he did not provide any of the requested fueling records, and therefore the airplane’s fuel state prior to the flight leg could not be confirmed. Based on the available information, it is most likely that the loss of engine power was the result of fuel exhaustion due to the pilot’s inadequate fuel planning.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Confirm fuel state before departure from X35 to prevent power loss.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents4

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