- Date
- August 1, 2021, 08:00 local (12:00 UTC)
- Place
- Urbana, OH · Estimated - field north of the airport
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N443JBVans RV6
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Columbus FSDO
- FAA report
- 20210801012289A
- Case key
- 103664
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 and fuel planning which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Findings · 5
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 private pilot reported that he did not visually check the fuel quantity in the two wing fuel tanks before takeoff. While the airplane was on final approach to land, with the right-wing fuel tank selected, the engine stopped producing power. The airplane impacted a corn field about ½ mile away from the airport. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount and the left wing. A postaccident examination revealed that the right-wing fuel tank was empty. A Federal Aviation Administration aviation safety inspector stated that the pilot admitted to “running out of gas.”
Aircraft
- Registration
- N443JB
- Reported as
- Vans RV6
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 20023
- Built
- 1989
- Airframe hours
- 1,850
- Engine
- Lycoming Engines O-320 Series, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 15, 2020
- Departed
- 9OA5 · Hebron, OH
- Destination
- I74 · Urbana, OH
- Airport
- I74 · Grimes Fld, runway 02/20, 4,400 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, ADS-B, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display
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
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 7, 2021
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 1,645 total · 120 in this make and model · 1,645 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 91
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 21, 2020
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 3,565 total · 1,710 in this make and model · 3,565 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.94 inHg
- Observed at
- KEDJ, 16 nm away
- METAR
- KEDJ 011215Z AUTO 20005KT 6SM CLR 15/15 A2994 RMK AO1
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 23, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.4 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.