- Date
- July 24, 1991, 16:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Locust Grove, GA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3263Maridon Starduster TOO
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910724029709A
- Case key
- 8443
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
Fuel exhaustion which resulted from the failure of the pilots to refuel the airplane. A factor was the local pilot's having become lost.
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
Two flight instructors, one local & one from California, were practicing landings. Instruments were in rear cockpit. Rear pilot noted fuel indication was empty. Fuel was not available at FBO on practice airport. Fuel tank was dipped & front seat pilot believed fuel was sufficient to reach home airport about 8 minutes away. En route, visibility decreased. Upon reaching interstate highway, heading was altered away from home airport. After a few miles, mistake was recognized & course reversed. The engine quit about 3 miles from the airport. Acft examination revealed only residual fuel in the gascolator & none in the line between the gascolator & the carburetor.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3263
- Reported as
- Maridon Starduster TOO (STARDUSTER)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 001
- Airframe hours
- 273
- Engine
- Jacobs L4MB, 24 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Roberts, William B
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 6, 1991 · 8 hours before
- Departed
- 4A7 · Hampton, GA
- Destination
- GA04 · Mallard'S Ldg., GA
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
- 39
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,600 total · 7 in this make and model · 1,500 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ATL, 24 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.
Other investigations on N3263 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.