What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On November 27, 2014 at 19:17 hours, gso inspector trm received accident phone call from atlanta center and NC harnett county sherriff, gerald coley, concerning an aircraft N9503U, model UC-1 twin bee aircraft, s/n 008, that landed in an open field just outside benson, NC, approximately 5 miles from harnett county airport (hrt) with
Pilot, solar samuel schultze in the left pilot?s seat. Inspector requested sherriff coley to seal the fuel fillers and cowlings until FAA arrival.
privacy data omitted, Certificate number privacy data omitted, holding ground instructor, land and sea ATP and commercial ratings, departed central jersey airport, (47N), with a planned fuel stop at harnett county jet port in erwin, n.c (hrt), with a final destination of new smyrna beach FL (evb) and was on decent to hrt when the incident occurred. He also reported 2 souls on board with no injuries. privacy data omitted Stated that passenger privacy data omitted was in the co-pilot seat. privacy data omitted Is an ATP land, sea single and multi-engine, instrument instructor, and flight instructor rated pilot.
privacy data omitted Explained on the telephone that ?about 6 miles out [of harnett county airport], I noticed engine problems. After initial decent FROM1800 to 2000 feet, to somewhere below 1000 feet the left engine started to lose power and rev up and down. I thought it might be a fuel problem. I hit the fuel pump, aux tank switch and advanced all levers forward. The engines seemed to come back to life and climbed back to around 800 to A1000 feet. The engine problems then reappeared right away and the aircraft was unable to maintain altitude. I pulled the engines levers back and the fluctuations seemed to be less noticeable. I spotted a field and decided to attempt to land in the field. I landed the aircraft in a soft field and crossed a drainage path, and rolled to a stop. The right main landing gear and tail wheel, sunk into the sandy soil and the bow (nose) of the aircraft plowed into the sand and the aircraft came to a rest. No obvious damage is noticeable.?
Friday November 28 inspectors timothy r mcquain (trm) and cecil j land (cjl) traveled to benson and met privacy data omitted at the hampton inn hotel in benson and discussed the incident before traveling to the site to investigate the incident. privacy data omitted Delivered the same description of events except adding that after the aircraft came to a stop, he pulled all engine controls to the stop position.
Upon the visual inspection of the field that was the landing site of the aircraft, it was confirmed that the field was in fact cleared and a base of soft sand. The aircrafts right main landing gear assembly was imbedded in the sand, the tail wheel partially imbedded in sandy soil and with the right side of the belly of the fuselage lightly resting the ground. The right wing water float showed evidence of lightly contacting the sand during landing. The propellers did not touch the ground. No apparent damage was discovered on any portion of the aircraft from the landing. A yard stick was immersed in the filler of each fuel tank with no indication that fuel was in either tank. Aircraft power was turned on and the fuel quantity indicator for the main tanks indicated empty. The spring loaded switch for the aux tank indication also indicated no fuel in aux tank. An attempt to drain fuel from the main and aux fuel tanks produced about 1 pint of avgas. The discovery of these facts and evidence established fuel depletion causing the emergency landing off the airport.
As the FAA filed it
ON NOVEMBER 27, 2014 AT 19:17 HOURS, GSO INSPECTOR TRM RECEIVED ACCIDENT PHONE CALL FROM ATLANTA CENTER AND NC HARNETT COUNTY SHERRIFF, GERALD COLEY, CONCERNING AN AIRCRAFT N9503U, MODEL UC-1 TWIN BEE AIRCRAFT, S/N 008, THAT LANDED IN AN OPEN FIELD JUST OUTSIDE BENSON, NC, APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES FROM HARNETT COUNTY AIRPORT (HRT) WITH
PILOT, SOLAR SAMUEL SCHULTZE IN THE LEFT PILOT?S SEAT. INSPECTOR REQUESTED SHERRIFF COLEY TO SEAL THE FUEL FILLERS AND COWLINGS UNTIL FAA ARRIVAL.
^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, CERTIFICATE NUMBER ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, HOLDING GROUND INSTRUCTOR, LAND AND SEA ATP AND COMMERCIAL RATINGS, DEPARTED CENTRAL JERSEY AIRPORT, (47N), WITH A PLANNED FUEL STOP AT HARNETT COUNTY JET PORT IN ERWIN, N.C (HRT), WITH A FINAL DESTINATION OF NEW SMYRNA BEACH FL (EVB) AND WAS ON DECENT TO HRT WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. HE ALSO REPORTED 2 SOULS ON BOARD WITH NO INJURIES. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THAT PASSENGER ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS IN THE CO-PILOT SEAT. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ IS AN ATP LAND, SEA SINGLE AND MULTI-ENGINE, INSTRUMENT INSTRUCTOR, AND FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR RATED PILOT.
^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ EXPLAINED ON THE TELEPHONE THAT ?ABOUT 6 MILES OUT [OF HARNETT COUNTY AIRPORT], I NOTICED ENGINE PROBLEMS. AFTER INITIAL DECENT FROM1800 TO 2000 FEET, TO SOMEWHERE BELOW 1000 FEET THE LEFT ENGINE STARTED TO LOSE POWER AND REV UP AND DOWN. I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE A FUEL PROBLEM. I HIT THE FUEL PUMP, AUX TANK SWITCH AND ADVANCED ALL LEVERS FORWARD. THE ENGINES SEEMED TO COME BACK TO LIFE AND CLIMBED BACK TO AROUND 800 TO A1000 FEET. THE ENGINE PROBLEMS THEN REAPPEARED RIGHT AWAY AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE. I PULLED THE ENGINES LEVERS BACK AND THE FLUCTUATIONS SEEMED TO BE LESS NOTICEABLE. I SPOTTED A FIELD AND DECIDED TO ATTEMPT TO LAND IN THE FIELD. I LANDED THE AIRCRAFT IN A SOFT FIELD AND CROSSED A DRAINAGE PATH, AND ROLLED TO A STOP. THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR AND TAIL WHEEL, SUNK INTO THE SANDY SOIL AND THE BOW (NOSE) OF THE AIRCRAFT PLOWED INTO THE SAND AND THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A REST. NO OBVIOUS DAMAGE IS NOTICEABLE.?
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 28 INSPECTORS TIMOTHY R MCQUAIN (TRM) AND CECIL J LAND (CJL) TRAVELED TO BENSON AND MET ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AT THE HAMPTON INN HOTEL IN BENSON AND DISCUSSED THE INCIDENT BEFORE TRAVELING TO THE SITE TO INVESTIGATE THE INCIDENT. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ DELIVERED THE SAME DESCRIPTION OF EVENTS EXCEPT ADDING THAT AFTER THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A STOP, HE PULLED ALL ENGINE CONTROLS TO THE STOP POSITION.
UPON THE VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE FIELD THAT WAS THE LANDING SITE OF THE AIRCRAFT, IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE FIELD WAS IN FACT CLEARED AND A BASE OF SOFT SAND. THE AIRCRAFTS RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR ASSEMBLY WAS IMBEDDED IN THE SAND, THE TAIL WHEEL PARTIALLY IMBEDDED IN SANDY SOIL AND WITH THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BELLY OF THE FUSELAGE LIGHTLY RESTING THE GROUND. THE RIGHT WING WATER FLOAT SHOWED EVIDENCE OF LIGHTLY CONTACTING THE SAND DURING LANDING. THE PROPELLERS DID NOT TOUCH THE GROUND. NO APPARENT DAMAGE WAS DISCOVERED ON ANY PORTION OF THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE LANDING. A YARD STICK WAS IMMERSED IN THE FILLER OF EACH FUEL TANK WITH NO INDICATION THAT FUEL WAS IN EITHER TANK. AIRCRAFT POWER WAS TURNED ON AND THE FUEL QUANTITY INDICATOR FOR THE MAIN TANKS INDICATED EMPTY. THE SPRING LOADED SWITCH FOR THE AUX TANK INDICATION ALSO INDICATED NO FUEL IN AUX TANK. AN ATTEMPT TO DRAIN FUEL FROM THE MAIN AND AUX FUEL TANKS PRODUCED ABOUT 1 PINT OF AVGAS. THE DISCOVERY OF THESE FACTS AND EVIDENCE ESTABLISHED FUEL DEPLETION CAUSING THE EMERGENCY LANDING OFF THE AIRPORT.