- Date
- August 18, 2001, 11:15 local (15:15 UTC)
- Place
- Northville, MI
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N62PTWaters Avid Bandit
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Status
- Completed · report October 24, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20010818026479A
- Case key
- 53091
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
fuel starvation due to the pilot's improper fuel calculations. A factor was the concrete building.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The airplane experienced a loss of engine power during cruise flight and was substantially damaged during a forced landing. The pilot reported, "... I noticed uneven fuel usage from tanks. Decision made to return to airport immediately, but engine quit en route." He attempted an engine re-start but was unsuccessful. He executed a forced landing to a racetrack. He reported the airplane collided with a concrete building. The airplane had no fuel in the right tank and 8 gallons of fuel in the left tank. No fuel leak was observed. The pilot reported that during the flight, he had the right wing fuel selector ON and the left wing fuel selector OFF. He forgot to select the left wing fuel selector to ON, and when the right wing fuel tank ran out of fuel, the engine quit. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions.
Factual narrative
On August 18, 2001, at 1115 eastern daylight time, an experimental Waters Avid Bandit, N62PT, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight departed the Mettetal-Canton Airport (1D2), Plymouth, Michigan, at 1030, on a local flight. The airplane was in cruise flight returning to 1D2 when it experienced a loss of engine power and a forced landing was made to a racetrack located about 5 miles from the airport. The airplane hit a concrete building during landing roll. The pilot and passenger received serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot reported, "... I noticed uneven fuel usage from tanks. Decision made to return to airport immediately, but engine quit en route." He attempted an engine re-start but was unsuccessful. He executed a forced landing to a racetrack. He reported the airplane collided with a cement wall.
A Federal Aviation Administration Airworthiness Inspector examined the airplane and found no fuel in the right tank and 8 gallons of fuel in the left tank. No fuel leak was observed. He reported the pilot had informed him that during the flight, the pilot had the right wing fuel selector ON and the left wing fuel selector OFF. The pilot reported he forgot to select the left wing fuel selector to ON, and when the right wing fuel tank ran out of fuel, the engine quit.
The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N62PT
- Reported as
- Waters Avid Bandit
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1509E
- Airframe hours
- 315
- Engine
- Rotax 912 UL, 80 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Peter T. Waters
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 21, 2001 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- 1D2 · Plymoth, MI
- Airport
- 1D2 · Mettetal-Canton Airport
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
- 65
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- August 19, 2000
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 472 total · 314 in this make and model · 472 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC)
- Wind
- 160° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- YIP, 11 nm away
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 N62PT · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.