- Date
- October 6, 1991, 16:16 local (21:16 UTC)
- Place
- Gadsden, AL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N4726XCessna 320
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 23, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 8531
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 starvation due to incorrect fuel line installations, an inoperative fuel boost pump, and incorrect pilot procedure. A factor in this accident was the pilot's intentional operation with a known fuel system deficiency.
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
The plt was aware of a problem with the aircraft fuel system, since fuel from the right main tank would feed quicker than from the left main tank. Rather than have the a/c repaired in Florida, he elected to fly the a/c to his home in Indiana to have the repairs done there. While on approach to a refueling stop, he reported that both engines quit simultaneously. A forced landing was made in a nearby field. The investigation revealed that the lt tank boost pump was inop, and the fuel system crossfeed lines were incorrectly installed (normal x-feed was disabled). Thus, fuel from the rt, main tank was pressure fed to the lt, main tank, and then overboard, until the rt tank was emptied, and the rt engine quit. However, fuel was still available to the lt engine. Therefore the safety board believes that the pilot selected x-feed on the lt fuel selector after the rt engine quit; this subsequently shut off fuel to the lt engine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4726X
- Reported as
- Cessna 320
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3200026
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520B, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Barker, E. Gerry
- Registered owner
- Barker, E. Gerry
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- PFN · Panama City, FL
- Airport
- GAD · Gadsden Municipal, runway 36, 4,803 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 62
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,500 total · 1,100 in this make and model · 50 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 8 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 1 ft
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GAD, 3 nm away