- Date
- February 8, 2013, 12:45 local (18:45 UTC)
- Place
- Garden City, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2269UNorth American-Medore SNJ-4
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 12, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20130208002069A
- Case key
- 86191
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 loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
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 pilot stated that he switched fuel tanks during cruise flight and subsequently lost engine power and fuel pressure. The pilot attempted to restore fuel pressure by using the wobble pump and switching fuel tanks; however, he was not successful. The airplane was substantially damaged during the resultant forced landing. During the recovery of the airplane, 1.5 gallons of fuel were recovered from the right fuel tank and 12.5 gallons of fuel were recovered from the left fuel tank. An examination of the engine, wobble pump, engine driven fuel pump, and fuel system revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that the pilot moved the fuel selector to the right fuel tank, which had little fuel, starved the engine of fuel, and was unable to restart the engine before the forced landing.
Factual narrative
On February 8, 2013, approximately 1245 central standard time, a North American Medore SNJ-4, N2269U, was substantially damaged during a forced landing south of Garden City, Texas. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight departed Boerne, Texas, at 1115 and was en route to Midland, Texas. According to the pilot, at 8,500 feet, during cruise flight, he switched fuel tanks and subsequently lost engine power and fuel pressure. The pilot attempted to restore fuel pressure by using the wobble pump and switching fuel tanks; however, he was not successful. During the forced landing the right main landing gear tire exited the road and the airplane continued through a fence and into mesquite brush. The left wing spar was bent. During the recovery of the airplane 1.5 gallons of fuel was recovered from the right fuel tank and 12.5 gallons of fuel was recovered from the left fuel tank. Neither fuel tank exhibited damage or fuel leaks during the recovery. An examination of the engine, wobble pump, engine driven fuel pump, and fuel system revealed no anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2269U
- Reported as
- North American-Medore SNJ-4
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 88-12850
- Airframe hours
- 4,657
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney R1340, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- BP Residential LLC
- Registered owner
- BP Residential LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 2012
- Departed
- 5C1 · Boerne, TX
- Destination
- MDD · Midland, TX
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
- 41
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 7, 2012
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,042 total · 20 in this make and model · 961 as pilot in command · 72 in the last 90 days · 33 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 9 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
- Observed at
- KMDD
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 22, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.5 MB 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.