20231103021409I

Incident · No damage

FAA incident report · Commander 114TC · Butler, PA · November 3, 2023

Date: November 3, 2023 · 17:30 local
Place: Butler, PA
Airport: Butler County/K W Scholter Fie
Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: No damage
Aircraft: N246PK
Reported as: Commander 114TC
Reported engine: Lycoming TIO-540
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours: 22,000 total200 in this make and model200 in the last 90 days

N246PKRegistered now · Commander 114TCS/N 20008 · Built 1995 Airframe modelCommander 114TC Engine 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.

While on approach to landing at Butler county airport, privacy data omitted entered a left hand turn from base to an approximately 1.5 mile final. While in the turn, the aircraft engine quit and the aircraft made a successful approach and landing to a field. No damage was reported to the aircraft. Upon further investigation, it was determined that the pilot was operating the aircraft on the RH fuel selector, due to a full fuel indication on the fuel gauge. During the course of the investigation, it was determined the rt tank was empty while the fuel gauge was indicating full. The pilot was unaware of the indicating error. Counseling was conducted on aircraft procedures and fuel planning.

As the FAA filed it

WHILE ON APPROACH TO LANDING AT BUTLER COUNTY AIRPORT, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ENTERED A LEFT HAND TURN FROM BASE TO AN APPROXIMATELY 1.5 MILE FINAL. WHILE IN THE TURN, THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE QUIT AND THE AIRCRAFT MADE A SUCCESSFUL APPROACH AND LANDING TO A FIELD. NO DAMAGE WAS REPORTED TO THE AIRCRAFT. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE PILOT WAS OPERATING THE AIRCRAFT ON THE RH FUEL SELECTOR, DUE TO A FULL FUEL INDICATION ON THE FUEL GAUGE. DURING THE COURSE OF THE INVESTIGATION, IT WAS DETERMINED THE RT TANK WAS EMPTY WHILE THE FUEL GAUGE WAS INDICATING FULL. THE PILOT WAS UNAWARE OF THE INDICATING ERROR. COUNSELING WAS CONDUCTED ON AIRCRAFT PROCEDURES AND FUEL PLANNING.