Accident Convair CV-580 N586P,

ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 322572

Date:	Friday 13 August 2004
Time:	00:49
Type:	Convair CV-580
Owner/operator:	Air Tahoma
Registration:	N586P
MSN:	68
Year of manufacture:	1953
Total airframe hrs:	67886 hours
Engine model:	Allison 501-D13D
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	1 km S of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport, KY (CVG) - United States of America
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Cargo
Departure airport:	Memphis International Airport, TN (MEM/KMEM)
Destination airport:	Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport, KY (CVG/KCVG)
Investigating agency:	NTSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
The Convair, owned by Air Tahoma, was carrying overnight delivery packages under contract to DHL Worldwide Express. The captain began fuel crossfeed operations about 50 minutes into the flight and allowed it to continue unmonitored for almost 30 minutes. During the crossfeed operations, the fuel tank shutoff valve had been left open. This is contrary to approved procedures and allowed fuel transfer from the left tank to the right tank. During the airplane's descent to
landing, the fuel in the left tank, which was providing fuel to both engines, was exhausted because both engine-driven fuel pumps drew air from the left tank into the fuel system instead of fuel from the right tank, which led to a dual engine flameout caused by fuel starvation. The airplane was approaching runway 36R at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport but did not make it to the runway. The aircraft crashed on the sixth hole at the World of Sports golf course, just south of the airport and broke up.

PROBABLE CAUSE: " The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was fuel starvation resulting from the captains decision not to follow approved fuel crossfeed procedures. Contributing to the accident were the captain's inadequate preflight planning, his subsequent distraction during the flight, and his late initiation of the in-range checklist. Further contributing to the accident was the flight crews failure to monitor the fuel gauges and to recognize that the airplanes changing handling characteristics were caused by a fuel imbalance."

Accident investigation: