Pilot Debrief

BEECH B23 near Jean, NV — 2011-06-18

Final reportWPR11LA263
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Date
2011-06-18
Location
Jean, NV, USA
Aircraft
BEECH B23
Registration
N6991Q
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Climb

Probable cause

The student pilot’s improper in-flight fuel management when he did not switch to the fullest fuel tank when the engine began to lose power, which resulted in fuel starvation and the complete loss of engine power during maneuvering flight. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of knowledge of the engine's fuel consumption rate and the inaccurate fuel flow calculations that led to an inaccurate fuel quantity prior to takeoff.

NTSB narrative

According to the student pilot, while returning to his home base, he established the airplane in a slow flight configuration. About five minutes later, while he was still performing the slow flight maneuver, the engine began to run rough. The pilot then noticed that the left fuel gauge was indicating less than 1/4 full, and the right tank gauge was indicating over 1/2 full; the engine then lost power. Because he was about 500 feet above the ground when the engine lost power, he did not attempt to restart the engine, nor did he switch the fuel selector to the right tank. The pilot attempted to stretch the glide to the lakebed, but he was unable to do so, and the airplane touched down in an area of soft sand and sagebrush. A postaccident examination of the airplane determined that the left fuel tank was empty, and an undetermined amount of fuel was in the right tank. The pilot miscalculated the fuel burn and relied on his inaccurate fuel gauges to determine the pretakeoff fuel quantity.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot should have verified fuel levels before switching tanks.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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