Pilot Debrief

NORTH AMERICAN-MEDORE SNJ-4 near Garden City, TX — 2013-02-08

Final reportCEN13LA157
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Date
2013-02-08
Location
Garden City, TX, USA
Aircraft
NORTH AMERICAN-MEDORE SNJ-4
Registration
N2269U
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Cruise

Probable cause

The loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he switched fuel tanks during cruise flight and subsequently lost engine power and fuel pressure. The pilot attempted to restore fuel pressure by using the wobble pump and switching fuel tanks; however, he was not successful. The airplane was substantially damaged during the resultant forced landing. During the recovery of the airplane, 1.5 gallons of fuel were recovered from the right fuel tank and 12.5 gallons of fuel were recovered from the left fuel tank. An examination of the engine, wobble pump, engine driven fuel pump, and fuel system revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that the pilot moved the fuel selector to the right fuel tank, which had little fuel, starved the engine of fuel, and was unable to restart the engine before the forced landing.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have ensured adequate fuel before switching tanks.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 4 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents4

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