- Date
- August 11, 2009, 20:15 local (Aug 12, 2009, 00:15 UTC)
- Place
- Crandall, GA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- UNREGUnknown Sabre-Trike
- Defining event
- Maneuvering: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- Case key
- 74518
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
A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's inadequate fuel management.
Findings · 1
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 stated that he planned a short duration local flight and while on approach returning to land, the engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion. He initiated an approach to a farmer’s pasture and in the process landed hard on the nose wheel which broke off. The weight-shift aircraft then nosed over.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that he planned a short duration local flight and while on approach returning to land, the engine quit due to fuel exhaustion. He initiated an approach to a farmer’s pasture and in the process landed hard on the nose wheel which broke off. The weight-shift aircraft then nosed over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- UNREG
- Reported as
- Unknown Sabre-Trike
- Category
- Weight-shift, amateur-built
- Serial number
- Unknown
- Airframe hours
- 4
- Engine
- Rotax 447, 48 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gary M. Kerr
- Registered owner
- Unregistered
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- Crandall, GA
- Destination
- Crandall, GA
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 5,000 total · 4,000 in this make and model · 4,000 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 260° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- CHA, 20 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 17, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 817 KB in all.