- Date
- March 13, 1993, 12:04 local (19:04 UTC)
- Place
- Englewood, CO
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 3 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N4495WBeech A36
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 3, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930313004989A
- Case key
- 18246
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
Power loss due to fuel exhaustion as a result of failing to refuel en route. Factors were: inaccurate fuel consumption calculations, lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing, lack of total experience in the type of aircraft being flown, and becoming lost and disoriented.
Analysis
On a two mile final, while conducting a visual approach at the termination of a cross country flight, the pilot informed the tower he was experiencing engine problems. The aircraft impacted in a pond approximately one mile from the approach end of the runway of intended landing. No evidence of fuel was found in the aircraft or around the accident site. According to the aircraft operating manual the aircraft performance charts indicate endurance of 4.4 to 4.65 hours depending on power setting. The actual duration of the flight was 4.81 hours, including approximately 15 minutes when the radar and communications data indicate the pilot to have been lost and disoriented.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4495W
- Reported as
- Beech A36
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- E-552
- Airframe hours
- 3,032
- Engine
- Continental IO520-BA10, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Centerline Aviation
- Registered owner
- Gruver, Steven And Julia
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 3, 1992 · 82 hours before
- Departed
- ADS · Addison, TX
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- APA · Cenntenial Airport, runway 17, 7,003 × 77 ft, asphalt
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
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 636 total · 3 in this make and model · 506 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- APA, 1 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.