Fuel exhaustion Accident Cotter Stits Playmate N816,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 72938
 
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Date:Sunday 21 February 2010
Time:11:17
Type:Cotter Stits Playmate
Owner/operator:Seay Phillip L
Registration: N816
MSN: 10
Total airframe hrs:12 hours
Engine model:Lycoming O-290
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:Williston, 20 miles south of Gainesville, FL -   United States of America
Phase: Landing
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Williston, FL (X60)
Destination airport:Williston, FL (X60)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
The pilot stated that he was at 2,000 feet mean sea level and planned on making a base leg entry for landing. He applied carburetor heat and reduced power. The engine lost power and the propeller started to windmill. He attempted a restart; however, the engine started momentarily and lost power again 2 to 3 seconds later. The airplane continued to descend and he turned to line up with the runway, when he observed a telephone pole. He immediately slipped the airplane to the right to avoid the pole, and the airplane collided with the ground and came to rest inverted. Examination of the crash site revealed the landing gear collided with a wire in between two telephone poles. Examination of the airframe revealed no anomalies. Examination of the fuel system revealed the fuel selector valve in the on position. The fuel tank was not ruptured and no fuel was present in the fuel tank. The fuel tank cap had a tight seal and no fuel staining was present on the airframe. No browning of any vegetation was present at the crash site. First responders reported no leakage of fuel or smell of fuel at the crash site. The fuel lines and gascolator contained 2 to 3 ounces of fuel. The carburetor was separated and no fuel was present. The fuel tank was removed and 3 gallons of water was placed in the fuel tank. No leaks were observed. The pilot stated that he had 17 gallons of fuel on board at takeoff. The engine assembly was totally disassembled and no anomalies were noted that would have prevented the engine from operating. The pilot reported on the NTSB accident report that he had 8 total flight hours in the accident airplane.
Probable Cause: A loss of engine power during approach due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's fuel mismanagement.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: ERA10LA151
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 3 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
21-Feb-2010 14:44 RobertMB Added
21-Dec-2016 19:25 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency]
26-Nov-2017 15:24 ASN Update Bot Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]

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