- Date
- May 9, 2023, 08:00 local (13:00 UTC)
- Place
- Midland, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N433CFCirrus Design SR22
- Defining event
- Enroute: 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
- FAA - Lubbock FSDO
- FAA report
- 20230509004679A
- Case key
- 174535
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 · 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
The pilot reported that when he was about 6 miles from the destination airport, the engine began running very rough. The pilot turned 180° toward an alternate airport that he had just flown over and declared an emergency. He attempted to troubleshoot the engine roughness, but was unsuccessful, and the engine lost total power. Unable to reach the runway, the pilot conducted a forced landing to a rough field. During the forced landing, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the right fuel tank contained no usable fuel, and the left fuel tank contained about 25 gallons of fuel. The fuel selector was found in the right fuel tank position. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. After the accident, the pilot stated that he had no memory of changing tanks during the flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N433CF
- Reported as
- Cirrus Design SR22
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 0710
- Built
- 2003
- Airframe hours
- 3,492.1
- Engine
- Continental IO-550-N, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 14, 2022
- Departed
- KFWS · Fort Worth, TX
- Destination
- KODO · Odessa, TX
- Airport
- KMAF
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display, Onboard weather, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Airframe parachute
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
- 40
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,254 total · 93 in this make and model · 2,186 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.96 inHg
- Observed at
- KMAF, 1 nm away
- METAR
- KMAF 091253Z 20007KT 7SM CLR 19/11 A2996 RMK AO2 SLP095 T01890106
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 7, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.6 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.