CEN13LA339

NTSB accident investigation · Youngs William D T211 · Festus, MO · June 11, 2013

Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
June 10, 2013, 21:00 local (Jun 11, 2013, 02:00 UTC)
Place
Festus, MO
Injuries
2 serious
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Enroute
Aircraft
N211BYYoungs William D T211
Defining event
Enroute: Loss of engine power (total)
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report April 27, 2015
Report
Approved by Office Director
NTSB office
Central Region
Parties
FAA-STL-FSDO
FAA report
20130610012059A
Case key
87155

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

Fuel exhaustion due to the pilot’s inadequate preflight fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.

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.

Fluids: fuelAircraft › Fluids/misc hardware · Fluid levelYoungs William D T211: 1 caseAll aircraft: 1,695 casesProbable cause
Planning/preparation: fuel planningPersonnel issues › Task performance · PilotYoungs William D T211: 1 caseAll aircraft: 719 casesProbable cause

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

While descending to land, the pilot called his wife and told her the airplane had run out of fuel and was going to crash. The airplane impacted a tree line and then subsequently descended into a field. After the accident, the pilot again contacted his wife and told her that he did not know his location. The pilot's wife called 911, and the airplane was subsequently located in the field about 2 1/2 miles south of the destination airport. A postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed no fuel in either the airplane or on the ground near the airplane.

Factual narrative

On June 10, 2013, about 2100 central daylight time, an amateur built William D. Youngs T211, N211BY, collided with trees and the terrain following a loss of engine power in Festus, Missouri. The pilot and passenger received serious injuries. The airplane, which was registered to and operated by the pilot, received substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The personal flight was being conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from the Festus Memorial Airport (FES), Festus, Missouri, about 1900. According to local authorities, while descending to land at FES, the pilot called his wife via cell phone. He told her they had run out of fuel and were going to crash. The airplane contacted a treeline that contained 30 to 40 foot tall trees. The airplane then descended into a field contacting the terrain about 25 feet from the treeline. After the impact, the pilot contacted his wife once again stating they had crashed and that he did not know their location. The pilot's wife contacted 911 and the airplane was subsequently located in the field about 2 ½ miles south of FES. A postaccident examination of the airplane, by the Federal Aviation Administration, showed there was no evidence of fuel in the airplane or on the ground surrounding the airplane.

Aircraft

Registration
N211BY
Reported as
Youngs William D T211
Category
Airplane, amateur-built
Serial number
07
Engine
Cont Motor 0-200 SERIES, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Operator
Smith James E
Registered owner
Smith James E
Airworthiness certificate
Special, Experimental (Special)
Departed
FES · Festus, MO
Destination
FES · Festus, MO
Airport
FES · Festus Memorial Airport

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 · 2

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

Role
Pilot
Age
65
Injuries
Serious
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
With waivers/limitations
Role
Pilot-rated passenger
Age
40
Injuries
Serious
Certificates
Flight instructor, Commercial
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
With waivers/limitations

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
Calm
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
70 °F, dew point 61 °F
Altimeter
29.88 inHg
Observed at
KCPS, 32 nm away

Docket · 2

The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 30, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 268 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.