- Date
- July 15, 1990, 16:16 local (20:16 UTC)
- Place
- Atlanta, GA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N9865FCessna 340
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 12, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900715025939A
- Case key
- 8142
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot-in-command's inadequate fuel management, in that he did not select main fuel tanks prior to this approach. This resulted in fuel starvation to the engines, and the subsequent loss of all engine power.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
After level off from his descent for a visual approach, the pilot noticed that both engines had quit. The airplane impacted terrain about 1/4 mile from the airport. The pilot reported that he switched to his main fuel tanks 12 miles from the airport, and that he had about 150 pounds of fuel in each of his four tanks. Inspection of the airplane revealed only .25 gallons of fuel in the left auxiliary tank. The other tanks were ruptured from impact forces. Although the auxiliary fuel tanks are to be used in cruise flight only, the pilot reported that he was using the auxiliary tanks during the descent for landing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9865F
- Reported as
- Cessna 340
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 340-0161
- Airframe hours
- 3,667
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-BCN, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Bill Walker And Associates
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 26, 1989 · 0 hours before
- Departed
- SPA · Spartanburg, SC
- Destination
- FTY · Atlanta, GA
- Airport
- FTY · Fulton County, runway 26, 5,796 × 100 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 49
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,250 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 15 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FTY, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.