# Accident 20140805013549A: Christen Industries Inc PITTS S-2B, Oceanside, CA, August 5, 2014 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: August 5, 2014, 11:30 local time - Place: Oceanside, CA - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 33.2214° N, 117.3442° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.2214&lon=-117.3442&mi=10 - Aircraft: N88EW, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N88EW) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Christen Industries PITTS S-2B (registry code 2210006, https://openairdocs.org/model/christen-industries-pitts-s-2b) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming AEIO-540 series (registry code 41568, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-aeio-540-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CHRISTEN INDUSTRIES INC PITTS S-2B - Reported engine: LYCOMING AEIO-540 SER - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 2 - Pilot certificates: Airline transport - Pilot flight hours: 10,800 total, 50 in this make and model, 100 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR14LA329](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR14LA329) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140805013549A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. I ARRIVED AT THE NORTH/ EAST CORNER OF HIGHWAY 76 AND FOUSSAT RD. AT APPROXIMATELY 1:15 PM AUGUST 5, 2014 AND GREETED BY OFFICER RANDY MARKHAM. AIRCRAFT N88EW CHRISTEN INDUSTRIES INC. PITTS S-2B SERIAL NUMBER 5073 WAS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 150 FEET OFF FOUSSAT RD. UPSIDE DOWN FACING EAST. THE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER HAD LEFT THE SCENE PRIOR TO MY ARRIVAL. PHOTOGRAPHED THE AIRCRAFT AND SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT. PERFORMED A PARTIAL PHYSICAL INSPECTION OF AIRCRAFT N88EW. THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF FUEL AND OR OIL LEAKING AND OR CONTAMINATION. LOCATED THE MAIN FUEL TANK JUST FORWARD OF THE PILOTS (FORWARD) INSTRUMENT PANEL AND PERFORMED A THUMP/ KNOCK TEST AND THE TANK SOUNDED LIKE THERE WAS VERY LITTLE IF ANY FUEL INSIDE. LOCATED THE MAIN FUEL TANK FILL CAP ON TOP OF THE AIRCRAFT FUSELAGE FORWARD OF THE WINDSHIELD. REMOVED THE FILL CAP AND APPROXIMATELY 1 CUP FUEL DRAINED FROM THE TANK DUE TO THE AIRCRAFT BEING UPSIDE DOWN. 08/07/2014 ? TELEPHONED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND REQUESTED AN EMAIL ADDRESS TO SEND ?PILOTS BILL OF RIGHTS? AND A NARRATIVE OF THE EVENT IN WRITING. 08/13/2014 ? RECEIVED EMAIL FROM ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WITH AN ATTACHMENT NARRATIVE OF THE EVENT AND THE APPLICABLE PILOT INFORMATION FOR FAA FORM 8020-23. PERTINENT FACTS FROM ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AS FOLLOWS: ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, RE:N88EW PREFLIGHTED AIRCRAFT FOR A LOCAL 30 MINUTE FLIGHT. FUEL INDICATION ON THE SIGHT GAGE AT PREFLIGHT WAS 3/4 INDICATING SUFFICIENT FUEL FOR 30 MINUTE PLANNED FLIGHT WITH FAR 91 VFR RESERVES. I FOUND THAT THE INDICATION WAS REASONABLE BASED ON RECENT AND PAST EXPERIENCE IN THIS AIRFRAME. DEPARTED KCRQ RUNWAY 24 WITH A 3/4 FUEL INDICATION PRIOR TO TAKEOFF AND HEADED FOR THE BONSALL AREA. I STAYED ON STATION APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES OVER BONSALL FOR AEROBATIC MANEUVERS BETWEEN AND ALTITUDE OF 7,500'MSL AND 9,500'MSL. FUEL INDICATION REMAINED AT 3/4 PRIOR TO INITIATING SPIN PRACTICE. AFTER PERFORMING SPINS I NOTICED THE INDICATION ON THE SIGHT GAGE WAS UNREADABLE AND THE INDICATOR WAS FULL OF FUEL WITH NO AIR BUBBLE VISIBLE. THIS WAS NOT UNUSUAL AFTER AEROBATIC MANEUVERING IN THIS AIRCRAFT. AS PLANNED I BEGAN FLYING DIRECT TO KCRQ. A SHORT TIME LATER I NOTICED THE ENGINE POSSIBLY RUNNING ROUGH. I CHECKED OIL PRESSURE, THEN CHECKED THE FUEL SIGHT GAGE AND NOTICED THAT THE INDICATION WAS BELOW 1/2 AND VARIED ACCORDING TO THROTTLE POSITION. I CHOSE TO DIVERT TO KOKB OCEANSIDE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT. SOON AFTER THAT DECISION THE AIRCRAFT LOST POWER. I TURNED ON THE FUEL PUMP, CHECKED THE FUEL SIGHT GAGE AND COULD NOT SEE A FUEL INDICATION. (NOTE THAT IT IS DIFFICULT TO SEE AN INDICATION BELOW 1/2 DUE TO THE DESIGN OF THE AIRCRAFT). I CONFIRMED THAT I WAS WITHIN GLIDING DISTANCE TO KOKB, AND COMMITTED TO DIVERTING AND LANDING ON RUNWAY 24 AT KOKB. I ARRIVED OVER KOKB AIRPORT ABOVE TRAFFIC PATTERN ALTITUDE. L FLEW RUNWAY 24 CENTER LINE AND ENTERED A LEFT DOWNWIND FROM THE OVERHEAD POSITION. I TURNED LEFT BASE AND REALIZED I WAS HIGHER THAN I PLANNED. I BEGAN TO LEFT SIDE SLIP TO INCREASE DECENT RATE. I DID NOT FEEL THAT I WAS IN A SAFE POSITION TO LAND DUE TO EXCESS ALTITUDE WHILE CLOSE TO THE RUNWAY. I ELECTED TO DO A RIGHT 270 DEGREE TURN TO LOSE ALTITUDE. IN THAT TURN I REALIZED THAT I HAD INSUFFICIENT ALTITUDE AND I WAS NOT GOING TO MAKE THE RUNWAY WHILE MAINTAINING SAFE AIRSPEED. I COMMITTED TO LANDING IN THE CENTER OF THE FIELD SHORT OF RUNWAY 24 TO THE EAST. AIRCRAFT TURNED OVER ON LANDING. I RELEASED THE CANOPY AND WE BOTH EXITED THE AIRCRAFT.?08/18/2014 ? REQUESTED COPY OF OCEANSIDE POLICE CASE # 14010326 VIA FAX THIS DATE. 08/18/2014 ? RECEIVED OCEANSIDE POLICE DEPARTMENT CRIME/INCIDENT REPORT CASE NO. 14010326. THE FOLLOWING ARE EXERTS FROM CASE NO. 14010326.1:OFFICERS OBSERVATIONS AND ACTIONS:OFD PERSONNEL ARRIVED ON SCENE AND ASKED ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HOW MUCH FUEL WAS LEFT IN THE PLANE. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ SAID THERE WAS NO MORE FUEL IN THE PLANE, AND THAT WAS WHY HE CRASHED. STATEMENTS: ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ SAID HE RAN OUT OF FUEL SO HE TRIED TO LAND AT THE OCEANSIDE AIRPORT. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB WPR14LA329](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR14LA329), Aug 5, 2014: Christen Industries Pitts S 2B (N88EW), Oceanside, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inadequate fuel planning. ## Other reports on N88EW (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Accident 19930920035249A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19930920035249A), Sep 20, 1993: Child S2BPITTS (N88EW), Hawthorne, CA, Substantial damage. Student lost directional control landing. CFI tried to correct but aircraft ground looped. From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.