- Date
- November 4, 2010, 21:10 local (Nov 5, 2010, 03:10 UTC)
- Place
- Fruitvale, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N971WASiai-Marchetti S.205/22R
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report April 12, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20101104055239A
- Case key
- 77749
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
A total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's inadequate fuel planning.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The airplane was serviced with 14 gallons of fuel (the gauges registered three-quarters full) prior to departure, and the pilot flew to another airport where 20 gallons of fuel were added. The pilot then returned to his home base, where the airplane was serviced with another 24 gallons of fuel. The pilot flew back to the same airport but did not refuel there. While en route back to his home airport at night, the engine lost power. The pilot made a forced landing, during which the airplane collided with a power line and trees. The pilot said that he ran out of fuel and that the airplane burned more fuel than he anticipated.
Factual narrative
On November 4, 2010 approximately 2110 central standard time, a Siai-Marchetti S.205/22R, N971WA, registered to and operated by FreddieMac Aviation, LLC, was destroyed during a night forced landing when the airplane struck a power line and trees and impacted terrain after the engine lost power near Fruitvale, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed at the time of the accident. The business flight was being conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot, the sole occupant on board, was seriously injured. The cross-country flight originated at Denton (DTO), Texas, and was en route to Shreveport (SHV), Louisiana. According to the pilot's accident report, earlier that day the airplane was serviced with 14 gallons of fuel (the gauges registered three-quarters full) and he flew from SHV to DTO. At DTO, 20 gallons of fuel were added and the pilot returned to SHV. The airplane was serviced with 24 gallons of fuel and the pilot returned to DTO to take his business partner home. He did not refuel at DTO. En route back to SHV at 7,500 feet, the engine lost power. The pilot said it was his opinion that he "ran out of fuel."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N971WA
- Reported as
- Siai-Marchetti S.205/22R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 380
- Airframe hours
- 2,542
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1B6D, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- FreddieMac Aviation, LLC
- Registered owner
- FreddieMac Aviation, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 2010 · 117 hours before
- Departed
- DTO · Denton, TX
- Destination
- SHV · Shreveport, LA
- Flight plan
- Unknown
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
- 48
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 24, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 336 total · 295 in this make and model · 268 as pilot in command · 49 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 300° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 10, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 939 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.