- Date
- April 14, 2022, 13:55 local (18:55 UTC)
- Place
- Huntsville, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N78096Globe GC-1B
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Fuel starvation
- 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
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20220414008699A
- Case key
- 104984
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 fuel management which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
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 in cruise flight he positioned the fuel selector to the right auxiliary fuel tank and set a timer for 20 minutes. He practiced private pilot maneuvers and then proceeded to a nearby airport for touch-and-go landings. He did not switch the fuel selector back to the main fuel tank because he did not notice the timer. The pilot completed one touch-and-go landing and during the initial climb, the engine experienced a total loss of power. He pitched the nose of the airplane down for a forced landing and the engine regained power momentarily. The engine again experienced a loss of power, the airplane stalled, and impacted the ground adjacent to the runway resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. He stated that he should have refueled the airplane before the flight, so he did not have to worry about fuel management.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N78096
- Reported as
- Globe GC-1B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2096
- Built
- 1946
- Airframe hours
- 2,534.5
- Engine
- Continental Motors IO-360-DB-30B, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Smith Larry J
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 1, 2021
- Departed
- CXO · Conroe, TX
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- UTS · Huntsville Municipal Airport, runway 18, 5,005 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Angle of attack indicator, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Handheld GPS
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
- 73
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 4, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 569.2 total · 141.7 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.07 inHg
- Observed at
- KUTS, 1 nm away
- METAR
- KUTS 141853Z AUTO VRB04KT 10SM CLR 26/04 A3007 RMK AO2 SLP179 T02560044
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 22, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.2 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.