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20091208051999A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Rockwell IN 114 · Birmingham, AL · December 8, 2009

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
December 8, 2009 · 20:05 local
Place
Birmingham, AL
Airport
Birmingham International Airpo
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N5872N
NTSB investigation
NTSBERA10CA093
Reported as
Rockwell IN 114
Reported engine
Lycoming IO-540 T4B5D
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
491 total415 in this make and model122 in the last 90 days
N5872NRegistered now · Rockwell International 114S/N 14417 · Built 1978Airframe modelRockwell International 114Engine modelLycoming IO-540 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.

At 2018 CST on December 08, 2009, a small plane crashed at the Birmingham international airport (bhm). The aircraft was identified as an AC-11, registration number N5872N. There was one occupant and he was uninjured. The airplane departed monroe-walton county airport (D73) in Georgia bound for shelby county airport (eek) but was unable to land due to weather. The pilot stated that he decided to divert to bessemer (eky) after learning that shelby county was below minimums. He attempted an ILS at bessemer but was unable to land. He then requested vectors to Birmingham and had also attempted an ILS to runway 24. Unable to land on 24 due to the winds, he decided to track the localizer to runway 18 and land on 24 but the aircraft ran out of fuel on final and had a forced landing on the top of a hill approximately ¼ of a mile short of runway 18.according to the pilot, the engine quit just as he cleared the clouds and sighted the airport but the wind, which was reported as 170 at 23 gusting to 34, prevented him from making the runway. The aircraft landed in a clearing and hit a ditch which sheered off the left main and collapsed the nose gear. It came to rest with the left wing, prop and engine cowling on the ground. There was substantial damage to the outboard section of the left wing spar and the entire wing had been pulled away from the fuselage. The prop was destroyed and the damage indicated the engine was not running at the time of impact. Tracks on the ground indicated the aircraft rolled less than 50 yards after initial impact. The pilot stated "once the engine quit, I thought I was backing up." The reported weather at the time of the accident was:0253Z 17023G34 65M -tsra BKN013 OVC018CB TEMP19 DEW17 A2962 RMKA02

As the FAA filed it

AT 2018 CST ON DECEMBER 08, 2009, A SMALL PLANE CRASHED AT THE BIRMINGHAM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (BHM). THE AIRCRAFT WAS IDENTIFIED AS AN AC-11, REGISTRATION NUMBER N5872N. THERE WAS ONE OCCUPANT AND HE WAS UNINJURED. THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED MONROE-WALTON COUNTY AIRPORT (D73) IN GEORGIA BOUND FOR SHELBY COUNTY AIRPORT (EEK) BUT WAS UNABLE TO LAND DUE TO WEATHER. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE DECIDED TO DIVERT TO BESSEMER (EKY) AFTER LEARNING THAT SHELBY COUNTY WAS BELOW MINIMUMS. HE ATTEMPTED AN ILS AT BESSEMER BUT WAS UNABLE TO LAND. HE THEN REQUESTED VECTORS TO BIRMINGHAM AND HAD ALSO ATTEMPTED AN ILS TO RUNWAY 24. UNABLE TO LAND ON 24 DUE TO THE WINDS, HE DECIDED TO TRACK THE LOCALIZER TO RUNWAY 18 AND LAND ON 24 BUT THE AIRCRAFT RAN OUT OF FUEL ON FINAL AND HAD A FORCED LANDING ON THE TOP OF A HILL APPROXIMATELY ¼ OF A MILE SHORT OF RUNWAY 18.ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE ENGINE QUIT JUST AS HE CLEARED THE CLOUDS AND SIGHTED THE AIRPORT BUT THE WIND, WHICH WAS REPORTED AS 170 AT 23 GUSTING TO 34, PREVENTED HIM FROM MAKING THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED IN A CLEARING AND HIT A DITCH WHICH SHEERED OFF THE LEFT MAIN AND COLLAPSED THE NOSE GEAR. IT CAME TO REST WITH THE LEFT WING, PROP AND ENGINE COWLING ON THE GROUND. THERE WAS SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE OUTBOARD SECTION OF THE LEFT WING SPAR AND THE ENTIRE WING HAD BEEN PULLED AWAY FROM THE FUSELAGE. THE PROP WAS DESTROYED AND THE DAMAGE INDICATED THE ENGINE WAS NOT RUNNING AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. TRACKS ON THE GROUND INDICATED THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED LESS THAN 50 YARDS AFTER INITIAL IMPACT.THE PILOT STATED "ONCE THE ENGINE QUIT, I THOUGHT I WAS BACKING UP." THE REPORTED WEATHER AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WAS:0253Z 17023G34 65M -TSRA BKN013 OVC018CB TEMP19 DEW17 A2962 RMKA02

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB ERA10CA093Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal reportBirmingham, ALA total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot’s inadequate preflight fuel planning.Dec 9, 2009 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N5872N · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Incident 19840712051059IStarting Engines · Fargo, NDDid not see dim geardown light. Put gear selector up. Nose gear collapsed. Strut inflated too high for squat switchJul 12, 1984 · Minor damage