What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On January 14th, 2015, at approximately 1512 UTC (0912 local time), the airman holder of a private pilot certificate was involved in an aircraft accident while performing an off-airport emergency landing, directly resulting from a loss of engine power; the emergency landing site was approximately 1.5 nautical miles south of the Dodge City Regional Airport (kddc), Dodge City, Kansas. The pilot and two passenger suffered minor injuries requiring a 48 hour hospital stay for the pilot. The aircraft, a Cessna CE-210, is owned and operated by the airman. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed throughout the entire area; weather reported via the Dodge City Regional Airport (kddc) automated surface observation system (ASOS), indicated overcast ceiling 4,200 feet above ground level (AGL), visibility 10 statute miles, winds 340 at 7 knots, temperature of -1 degrees celsius, and a dew point of -7 degrees celsius.
Per the airman, the aircraft departed the wellington municipal airport (kegt), wellington, Kansas on a cross country flight to Dodge City Regional Airport (kddc) in VMC conditions and obtained radar flight following until arrival to kddc. The airman stated that the fuel indicators were at ¼ tank for each wing upon departure from kegt. He also indicated that he had not visually checked the fuel tanks or fuel caps prior to this flight or the previous four flights. The airman stated that he noticed the right fuel gage drop rapidly from ¼ to 1/8 tank while over pratt, KS. While turning base to final approach to land the airman reported the engine failed. He therefore switched the fuel selector to the right side tank and turned on the fuel boost pump with no success. He then reselected the left tank with no restart.
The airman elected to conduct a forced landing on butter & egg road, which runs east/west, approximately 1.5 miles south of the Dodge City Regional Airport. Eye witness statement confirms the approach and emergency landing direction. With no power, low airspeed and altitude, the aircraft had plunged through several tall trees near a residential property. The trees apparently broke the momentum, causing the airplane to contact the ground before reaching the road. The airplane came to rest between an abandoned house and a barb wire fence, just missing power lines and poles on butter & egg road. An unoccupied house on the property was about 20 feet away from the final impact area. A lived in house near the trees was about 10 yards to the right of the initial strike path through the trees.
A certificated aircraft mechanic from nearby Dodge City airport said that he arrived within 15 minutes of the accident. He did not discern any odor of aviation gasoline in the air or on the ground. The left wing was broken open near the wing roots. The airframe gascolator revealed just enough fuel to fill the bowl. Furthermore, no fuel came out of the disconnected fuel feeder line. Post-accident disassembly revealed neither wing contained any fuel. Evidence indicates the engine was fuel starved. Ultimately there was no post-crash fire.
The aircraft sustained substantial damage as a result of this emergency landing while the airman received bruises and a punctured lung while the two passengers sustained bruises to stomach and shoulders..
No engine or aircraft anomalies were noted during the post-accident inspection that would have contributed to this engine failure, apart from the airman?s failure to visually inspect the fuel tanks prior to departure from kegt.
Statements by the khp trooper and the airman reveal no pilot certificate or medical certificate was in possession by the airman during this flight.
As the FAA filed it
ON JANUARY 14TH, 2015, AT APPROXIMATELY 1512 UTC (0912 LOCAL TIME), THE AIRMAN HOLDER OF A PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE WAS INVOLVED IN AN AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT WHILE PERFORMING AN OFF-AIRPORT EMERGENCY LANDING, DIRECTLY RESULTING FROM A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER; THE EMERGENCY LANDING SITE WAS APPROXIMATELY 1.5 NAUTICAL MILES SOUTH OF THE DODGE CITY REGIONAL AIRPORT (KDDC), DODGE CITY, KANSAS. THE PILOT AND TWO PASSENGER SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES REQUIRING A 48 HOUR HOSPITAL STAY FOR THE PILOT. THE AIRCRAFT, A CESSNA CE-210, IS OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE AIRMAN. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (VMC) PREVAILED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE AREA; WEATHER REPORTED VIA THE DODGE CITY REGIONAL AIRPORT (KDDC) AUTOMATED SURFACE OBSERVATION SYSTEM (ASOS), INDICATED OVERCAST CEILING 4,200 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL (AGL), VISIBILITY 10 STATUTE MILES, WINDS 340 AT 7 KNOTS, TEMPERATURE OF -1 DEGREES CELSIUS, AND A DEW POINT OF -7 DEGREES CELSIUS.
PER THE AIRMAN, THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE WELLINGTON MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (KEGT), WELLINGTON, KANSAS ON A CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT TO DODGE CITY REGIONAL AIRPORT (KDDC) IN VMC CONDITIONS AND OBTAINED RADAR FLIGHT FOLLOWING UNTIL ARRIVAL TO KDDC. THE AIRMAN STATED THAT THE FUEL INDICATORS WERE AT ¼ TANK FOR EACH WING UPON DEPARTURE FROM KEGT. HE ALSO INDICATED THAT HE HAD NOT VISUALLY CHECKED THE FUEL TANKS OR FUEL CAPS PRIOR TO THIS FLIGHT OR THE PREVIOUS FOUR FLIGHTS. THE AIRMAN STATED THAT HE NOTICED THE RIGHT FUEL GAGE DROP RAPIDLY FROM ¼ TO 1/8 TANK WHILE OVER PRATT, KS. WHILE TURNING BASE TO FINAL APPROACH TO LAND THE AIRMAN REPORTED THE ENGINE FAILED. HE THEREFORE SWITCHED THE FUEL SELECTOR TO THE RIGHT SIDE TANK AND TURNED ON THE FUEL BOOST PUMP WITH NO SUCCESS. HE THEN RESELECTED THE LEFT TANK WITH NO RESTART.
THE AIRMAN ELECTED TO CONDUCT A FORCED LANDING ON BUTTER & EGG ROAD, WHICH RUNS EAST/WEST, APPROXIMATELY 1.5 MILES SOUTH OF THE DODGE CITY REGIONAL AIRPORT. EYE WITNESS STATEMENT CONFIRMS THE APPROACH AND EMERGENCY LANDING DIRECTION. WITH NO POWER, LOW AIRSPEED AND ALTITUDE, THE AIRCRAFT HAD PLUNGED THROUGH SEVERAL TALL TREES NEAR A RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY. THE TREES APPARENTLY BROKE THE MOMENTUM, CAUSING THE AIRPLANE TO CONTACT THE GROUND BEFORE REACHING THE ROAD. THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST BETWEEN AN ABANDONED HOUSE AND A BARB WIRE FENCE, JUST MISSING POWER LINES AND POLES ON BUTTER & EGG ROAD. AN UNOCCUPIED HOUSE ON THE PROPERTY WAS ABOUT 20 FEET AWAY FROM THE FINAL IMPACT AREA. A LIVED IN HOUSE NEAR THE TREES WAS ABOUT 10 YARDS TO THE RIGHT OF THE INITIAL STRIKE PATH THROUGH THE TREES.
A CERTIFICATED AIRCRAFT MECHANIC FROM NEARBY DODGE CITY AIRPORT SAID THAT HE ARRIVED WITHIN 15 MINUTES OF THE ACCIDENT. HE DID NOT DISCERN ANY ODOR OF AVIATION GASOLINE IN THE AIR OR ON THE GROUND. THE LEFT WING WAS BROKEN OPEN NEAR THE WING ROOTS. THE AIRFRAME GASCOLATOR REVEALED JUST ENOUGH FUEL TO FILL THE BOWL. FURTHERMORE, NO FUEL CAME OUT OF THE DISCONNECTED FUEL FEEDER LINE. POST-ACCIDENT DISASSEMBLY REVEALED NEITHER WING CONTAINED ANY FUEL. EVIDENCE INDICATES THE ENGINE WAS FUEL STARVED. ULTIMATELY THERE WAS NO POST-CRASH FIRE.
THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AS A RESULT OF THIS EMERGENCY LANDING WHILE THE AIRMAN RECEIVED BRUISES AND A PUNCTURED LUNG WHILE THE TWO PASSENGERS SUSTAINED BRUISES TO STOMACH AND SHOULDERS..
NO ENGINE OR AIRCRAFT ANOMALIES WERE NOTED DURING THE POST-ACCIDENT INSPECTION THAT WOULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS ENGINE FAILURE, APART FROM THE AIRMAN?S FAILURE TO VISUALLY INSPECT THE FUEL TANKS PRIOR TO DEPARTURE FROM KEGT.
STATEMENTS BY THE KHP TROOPER AND THE AIRMAN REVEAL NO PILOT CERTIFICATE OR MEDICAL CERTIFICATE WAS IN POSSESSION BY THE AIRMAN DURING THIS FLIGHT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.