ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 164706
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| Date: | Friday 14 March 2014 |
| Time: | 17:30 |
| Type: |  Cessna 402B Businessliner |
| Owner/operator: | Marlin Moudy |
| Registration: | N419AR |
| MSN: | 402B0805 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1974 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5860 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental TSIO-520 SER |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Near Witham Field Airport (KSUA), Stuart, Florida -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Fort Pierce, FL (FPR) |
| Stuart, FL (SUA) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
According to the pilot, he checked the fuel gauges before departure and believed he had enough fuel for the flight. As he approached his destination airport, he was instructed by an air traffic controller to enter a 2-mile left base. About 3 miles from the airport, the controller advised him to intercept a 6-mile final. About 1 1/2 miles from the runway, the left engine “quit.” The pilot repositioned the fuel valve to the left inboard fuel tank and was able to restart the engine, but, shortly after, the right engine “quit.” He then attempted to reposition the right fuel valve to the right inboard fuel tank to restart the right engine, but the left engine “quit” again, and the pilot subsequently made a forced landing in a field.
An examination of the engine and airplane systems revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The left wing fuel tanks were found empty. The right wing was found separated from the fuselage. No evidence of fuel was noted in the right wing fuel tanks, and no evidence of fuel leakage was found at the accident site. The pilot reported that he saw fuel leaking out of the right wing fuel vent after the accident; it is possible that a small quantity of the airplane’s unusable fuel for the right tank could have leaked out immediately after the accident.
Although the pilot believed that the airplane had enough fuel onboard for the flight, his assessment was based on his calculations of the airplane’s fuel burn during several short flights he made after having the airplane topped off with fuel the night before the accident; he did not visually check the fuel level in the tanks before departing on the accident flight. The lack of fuel in the fuel tanks, the lack of evidence of fuel leakage, the loss of engine power in both engines, and the lack of mechanical anomalies are consistent with fuel exhaustion.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s improper preflight planning and fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of power in both engines due to fuel exhaustion.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=419AR
Location
Media:
Small plane has crashed in @cityofstuart neighborhood. Pilot alive but hurt. pic.twitter.com/2R70zlB99K
— Tania Francois (@SheBreaksNews) March 14, 2014Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 15-Mar-2014 01:16 | Geno | Added |
| 15-Mar-2014 09:41 | harro | Updated [Embed code] |
| 17-Jan-2016 20:08 | Anon. | Updated [Embed code, Damage] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 29-Nov-2017 13:47 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
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