- Date
- February 1, 2025, 22:30 local (Feb 2, 2025, 04:30 UTC)
- Place
- Ennis, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N334LFAircraft Mfg & Development CH 2000
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- 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 - North Texas FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250201013809A
- Case key
- 199640
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 improper fuel planning which resulted in the total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
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
After about 4 hours and 15 minutes of a cross-country flight, while approaching the final destination, the airplane ran out of fuel. The pilot attempted to divert to a closer airport but had to execute a forced landing to a grassy field. Upon landing the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage above the right wing. Examination of the airplane at the accident site confirmed that there no usable fuel in the fuel tanks. The pilot stated that he should have refueled earlier in the flight, and that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane, engine, or related systems that would have precluded normal operations.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N334LF
- Reported as
- Aircraft Mfg & Development CH 2000
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20-1026
- Built
- 2003
- Airframe hours
- 2,000
- Engine
- Lycoming )-235-NLC, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Condition · February 1, 2025
- Departed
- RNV · Cleveland, MS
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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
- 27
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 253 total · 25 in this make and model · 161 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 160° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.05 inHg
- Observed at
- KLNC, 16 nm away
- METAR
- KLNC 020335Z AUTO 16005KT 10SM CLR 12/02 A3005 RMK AO2 T01200015
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 6, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 8.4 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.