What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The following was reported during an interview of the survivor at wake forest baptist hospital the day of the accident:on the flight prior to the accident flight, the aircraft was flown from craig airport in jacksonville, FL to palatka, FL, where it was fully fueled to approximately 48 gallons of fuel. The actual amount of fuel taken on in palatka was 37.62 gallons of 100LL. From palatka the airplane was flown to lake city, FL for one touch and go, and then on to craig airport for a total of one hour of flight time. The aircraft was then parked at craig airport with approximately 37 gallons of usable fuel in its tanks. The aircaft was flown for two and one half hours, non-stop from craig airport to Lexington, NC consuming approximately 18 gallons of fuel. The surviving pilot/passenger said the PIC refused to switch fuel tanks or enrich the fuel/air mixture for landing. The surviving passenger/pilot said the airspeed indicator was indicating 110 knots just prior to impacting the trees. According to the aircraft operating information, best glide speed for this aircraft is 85 to 95 knots. He said the PIC was attempting to glide to the airport .at the crash site, only a small quantitty of fuel was found in one of two sump tanks found in the wreckage, and no other evidence of fuel was found. The left rear seat bottom and sump tank (combined) separated from the cabin floor. The sump tank was not ruptured. The fuel lines to the sump tank were ruptured. The sump tank had about 1 gallon of fuel present. The right rear seat bottom and sump tank (combined) remained attached to the cabin floor. The sump tank was not ruptured and no fuel was present. Witnesses on the ground, within one quarter mile of the crash site, reported seeing an aircraft and hearing its engine sputtering and backfiring loudly just before the aircraft descended below the tree tops and disappeared from view. The aircraft was destroyed by the impact with the trees and the terrain. The surviving passenger /pilot was seriously injurred. Amended 05/14/2012: added amendment date.
As the FAA filed it
THE FOLLOWING WAS REPORTED DURING AN INTERVIEW OF THE SURVIVOR AT WAKE FOREST BAPTIST HOSPITAL THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT:ON THE FLIGHT PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT, THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLOWN FROM CRAIG AIRPORT IN JACKSONVILLE, FL TO PALATKA, FL, WHERE IT WAS FULLY FUELED TO APPROXIMATELY 48 GALLONS OF FUEL. THE ACTUAL AMOUNT OF FUEL TAKEN ON IN PALATKA WAS 37.62 GALLONS OF 100LL. FROM PALATKA THE AIRPLANE WAS FLOWN TO LAKE CITY, FL FOR ONE TOUCH AND GO, AND THEN ON TO CRAIG AIRPORT FOR A TOTAL OF ONE HOUR OF FLIGHT TIME. THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN PARKED AT CRAIG AIRPORT WITH APPROXIMATELY 37 GALLONS OF USABLE FUEL IN ITS TANKS. THE AIRCAFT WAS FLOWN FOR TWO AND ONE HALF HOURS, NON-STOP FROM CRAIG AIRPORT TO LEXINGTON, NC CONSUMING APPROXIMATELY 18 GALLONS OF FUEL. THE SURVIVING PILOT/PASSENGER SAID THE PIC REFUSED TO SWITCH FUEL TANKS OR ENRICH THE FUEL/AIR MIXTURE FOR LANDING. THE SURVIVING PASSENGER/PILOT SAID THE AIRSPEED INDICATOR WAS INDICATING 110 KNOTS JUST PRIOR TO IMPACTING THE TREES. ACCORDING TO THE AIRCRAFT OPERATING INFORMATION, BEST GLIDE SPEED FOR THIS AIRCRAFT IS 85 TO 95 KNOTS. HE SAID THE PIC WAS ATTEMPTING TO GLIDE TO THE AIRPORT .AT THE CRASH SITE, ONLY A SMALL QUANTITTY OF FUEL WAS FOUND IN ONE OF TWO SUMP TANKS FOUND IN THE WRECKAGE, AND NO OTHER EVIDENCE OF FUEL WAS FOUND. THE LEFT REAR SEAT BOTTOM AND SUMP TANK (COMBINED) SEPARATED FROM THE CABIN FLOOR. THE SUMP TANK WAS NOT RUPTURED. THE FUEL LINES TO THE SUMP TANK WERE RUPTURED. THE SUMP TANK HAD ABOUT 1 GALLON OF FUEL PRESENT. THE RIGHT REAR SEAT BOTTOM AND SUMP TANK (COMBINED) REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE CABIN FLOOR. THE SUMP TANK WAS NOT RUPTURED AND NO FUEL WAS PRESENT.WITNESSES ON THE GROUND, WITHIN ONE QUARTER MILE OF THE CRASH SITE, REPORTED SEEING AN AIRCRAFT AND HEARING ITS ENGINE SPUTTERING AND BACKFIRING LOUDLY JUST BEFORE THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED BELOW THE TREE TOPS AND DISAPPEARED FROM VIEW.THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED BY THE IMPACT WITH THE TREES AND THE TERRAIN. THE SURVIVING PASSENGER /PILOT WAS SERIOUSLY INJURRED. AMENDED 05/14/2012: ADDED AMENDMENT DATE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.
Other reports on N795DB · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.