What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) On 3/22/00 at about 1820 EST, Cessna N1556H, crashed during approach to Owens field, Columbia, s.c. visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft impacted the ground in a wood area approx. 1/4 mile from the end of the runway 31. The aircraft was destroyed, there was no post crash fire. The pilot was seriously injured. The private rated passenger was fatally injured. The aircraft was on a base leg when the pilot declared an emergency because of an engine failure and did not think he could make the runway. Inspection of the wreakage did not provide conclusive cause for the accident. First arrivals at the accident report very little fuel smell and no fuel leakage of the aircraft. Inspection of the fuel tanks revealed they had ruptured and only residual fuel remained. The fuel gauges and transmitter units were removed and forwarded for further evaluation. Inspection of the engine did not reveal a conclusive cause of loss of power. The engine was forwarded for further evaluation. (.4) according to the PIC, substantiated by the widow of the passenger/pilot, the airplane fuel tanks were topped off at orangeburg municipal airport, orangeburg, south carolina, on March 19, 2000. The PIC further stated that he flew directly home to Columbia Downtown airport, parked, and tied down for a total fuel burn time of about 30 minutes. On March 22, 2000, the airplane took off from Columbia Downtown airport, the PIC having radioed his intention to stay in the traffic pattern, and sustained an engine stoppage as the airplane approached the abeam position for its first landing. The airplane collided with the terrain and revealed no evidence of onboard fuel at the crash site. The engine underwent a factory test cell run, and it was unsatisfactory until factory fuel injector nozzles were substituted, at which time the engine met factory specifications. Subsequent disassembly examination of the fuel system components revealed contamination in the fuel injector servo. The fuel quantity indication system underwent factory testing and revealed the right tank system was operating erratically, which appeared to be a precrash condition.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) ON 3/22/00 AT ABOUT 1820 EST, CESSNA N1556H, CRASHED DURING APPROACH TO OWENS FIELD, COLUMBIA, S.C. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A WOOD AREA APPROX. 1/4 MILE FROM THE END OF THE RUNWAY 31. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED, THERE WAS NO POST CRASH FIRE. THE PILOT WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED. THE PRIVATE RATED PASSENGER WAS FATALLY INJURED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON A BASE LEG WHEN THE PILOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY BECAUSE OF AN ENGINE FAILURE AND DID NOT THINK HE COULD MAKE THE RUNWAY. INSPECTION OF THE WREAKAGE DID NOT PROVIDE CONCLUSIVE CAUSE FOR THE ACCIDENT. FIRST ARRIVALS AT THE ACCIDENT REPORT VERY LITTLE FUEL SMELL AND NO FUEL LEAKAGE OF THE AIRCRAFT. INSPECTION OF THE FUEL TANKS REVEALED THEY HAD RUPTURED AND ONLY RESIDUAL FUEL REMAINED. THE FUEL GAUGES AND TRANSMITTER UNITS WERE REMOVED AND FORWARDED FOR FURTHER EVALUATION. INSPECTION OF THE ENGINE DID NOT REVEAL A CONCLUSIVE CAUSE OF LOSS OF POWER. THE ENGINE WAS FORWARDED FOR FURTHER EVALUATION. (.4) ACCORDING TO THE PIC, SUBSTANTIATED BY THE WIDOW OF THE PASSENGER/PILOT, THE AIRPLANE FUEL TANKS WERE TOPPED OFF AT ORANGEBURG MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, ORANGEBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA, ON MARCH 19, 2000. THE PIC FURTHER STATED THAT HE FLEW DIRECTLY HOME TO COLUMBIA DOWNTOWN AIRPORT, PARKED, AND TIED DOWN FOR A TOTAL FUEL BURN TIME OF ABOUT 30 MINUTES. ON MARCH 22, 2000, THE AIRPLANE TOOK OFF FROM COLUMBIA DOWNTOWN AIRPORT, THE PIC HAVING RADIOED HIS INTENTION TO STAY IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN, AND SUSTAINED AN ENGINE STOPPAGE AS THE AIRPLANE APPROACHED THE ABEAM POSITION FOR ITS FIRST LANDING. THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN AND REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF ONBOARD FUEL AT THE CRASH SITE. THE ENGINE UNDERWENT A FACTORY TEST CELL RUN, AND IT WAS UNSATISFACTORY UNTIL FACTORY FUEL INJECTOR NOZZLES WERE SUBSTITUTED, AT WHICH TIME THE ENGINE MET FACTORY SPECIFICATIONS. SUBSEQUENT DISASSEMBLY EXAMINATION OF THE FUEL SYSTEM COMPONENTS REVEALED CONTAMINATION IN THE FUEL INJECTOR SERVO. THE FUEL QUANTITY INDICATION SYSTEM UNDERWENT FACTORY TESTING AND REVEALED THE RIGHT TANK SYSTEM WAS OPERATING ERRATICALLY, WHICH APPEARED TO BE A PRECRASH CONDITION.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.