- 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.
On this page
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.
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.