20051211031289I

Incident

FAA incident report · Amtr RV-6 · Limon, CO · December 11, 2005

Date: December 11, 2005
Place: Limon, CO
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Aircraft: N71CG
Reported as: Amtr RV6
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 600 total500 in this make and model15 in the last 90 days

N71CGRegistered now · Graf Charles R RV-6S/N 20982 · Built 1995 Airframe modelGraf Charles R RV-6 Engine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) The pilot left the claremore, Oklahoma airport with intentions to land at the Limon, Colorado airport for refueling. He topped off the fuel tanks which should have been sufficient amount of fuel to reach the Limon airport. As he got closer towards Limon, Colorado his fuel gauge indicated that he was low on fuel, but the pilot assumed that the gauge was not accurate. When he was approximately ten miles from Limon the aircraft ran out of fuel and the pilot made an emergency landing on the highway interstate 70. The pilot examined the fuel tank and found that the fuel cap had come loose causing the fuel to leak out of the tank. The aircraft was refueled and taxied to a frontage road where it took off without any other occurrences.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PILOT LEFT THE CLAREMORE, OKLAHOMA AIRPORT WITH INTENTIONS TO LAND AT THE LIMON, COLORADO AIRPORT FOR REFUELING. HE TOPPED OFF THE FUEL TANKS WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF FUEL TO REACH THE LIMON AIRPORT. AS HE GOT CLOSER TOWARDS LIMON, COLORADO HIS FUEL GAUGE INDICATED THAT HE WAS LOW ON FUEL, BUT THE PILOT ASSUMED THAT THE GAUGE WAS NOT ACCURATE. WHEN HE WAS APPROXIMATELY TEN MILES FROM LIMON THE AIRCRAFT RAN OUT OF FUEL AND THE PILOT MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING ON THE HIGHWAY INTERSTATE 70. THE PILOT EXAMINED THE FUEL TANK AND FOUND THAT THE FUEL CAP HAD COME LOOSE CAUSING THE FUEL TO LEAK OUT OF THE TANK. THE AIRCRAFT WAS REFUELED AND TAXIED TO A FRONTAGE ROAD WHERE IT TOOK OFF WITHOUT ANY OTHER OCCURRENCES.