- Date
- April 10, 2020, 17:44 local (22:44 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Worth, TX
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N487JPitts S2
- Defining event
- Enroute: Loss of engine power (total)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 21, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20200410005929A
- Case key
- 101165
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 pilot's inadequate preflight inspection of the fuel level, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Findings · 3
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 reported that, during his preflight inspection, he determined that the fuel tank was about 1/2 full (12 gallons). After the airplane departed the airport and reached about 1,300 ft above ground level, the engine lost all power. The pilot turned back to the airport and chose a field for a forced landing. The airplane landed hard, the landing gear collapsed, and the airplane then flipped over and came to rest upside down, which resulted in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and rudder. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel tank contained about 1 gallon of fuel. Following the accident, the pilot stated that he realized he had misread the fuel gauge and that there were only about 3 gallons of fuel onboard at takeoff. Based on this information, it is likely the loss of engine power was due to fuel exhaustion.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during his preflight inspection, he perceived the fuel tank was about half full of fuel. After the airplane departed the airport and reached about 1,300 ft above ground level, the engine lost all power. The pilot turned back to the airport and selected a field for a forced landing, but realized the airplane was not able to glide to that field and so he selected a closer field. The airplane landed hard and nosed over, which damaged the vertical stabilizer and rudder. Post-accident examination of the airplane revealed the fuel tank contained about 1 gallon of fuel. Following the accident, the pilot stated he misread the fuel gauge.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N487J
- Reported as
- Pitts S2 (B)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 5127
- Built
- 1987
- Engine
- Lycoming AEIO-540-D4A5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 2, 2020 · 1,951 hours before
- Departed
- Forth Worth, TX
- Destination
- CPT · Cleburne, TX
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 61
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Private, Military, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 6, 2020
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 20,000 total · 300 in this make and model · 10,000 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Observed at
- KNFW, 6 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 9, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.0 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.
Other investigations on N487J · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.