- Date
- December 8, 2009, 21:00 local (Dec 9, 2009, 03:00 UTC)
- Place
- Birmingham, AL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5872NRockwell International 114
- Defining event
- Landing: Ground collision
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report March 23, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20091208051999A
- Case key
- 75150
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 total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot’s inadequate preflight fuel planning.
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 stated that he was conducting an instrument-flight-rules flight with an estimated flight time of 1 hour and 33 minutes. He encountered unanticipated headwinds along the route of flight, and as he neared his destination airport he learned that weather conditions had deteriorated below minimums. The pilot diverted to a nearby airport, but was unable to complete the approach due to a windshear encounter. He then diverted to a third airport and reported that he was concerned about the airplane's available fuel. The pilot again aborted his first approach due to a windshear encounter and during a subsequent approach the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. The pilot performed a forced landing to a field prior to the runway. The airplane's nose and left main landing gears collapsed upon contact with a ditch, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that he was conducting an instrument-flight-rules flight with an estimated flight time of 1 hour and 33 minutes. He encountered unanticipated headwinds along the route of flight, and as he neared his destination airport he learned that weather conditions had deteriorated below minimums. The pilot diverted to a nearby airport, but was unable to complete the approach due to a windshear encounter. He then diverted to a third airport and reported that he was concerned about the airplane's available fuel. The pilot again aborted his first approach due to a windshear encounter and during a subsequent approach the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. The pilot performed a forced landing to a field prior to the runway. The airplane's nose and left main landing gears collapsed upon contact with a ditch, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5872N
- Reported as
- Rockwell International 114
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 14417
- Airframe hours
- 3,902
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540 SER, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Staples Investment Group
- Registered owner
- Staples Investment Group
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 2009
- Departed
- D73 · Monroe, GA
- Destination
- EET · Alabaster, AL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- BHM · Birmingham International, runway 18, 7,100 × 150 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
- 34
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 22, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 492 total · 437 in this make and model · 418 as pilot in command · 123 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night
- Wind
- 170° at 23 knots, gusting 34
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,300 ft broken
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.62 inHg
- Observed at
- BHM, 2 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 8, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.3 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.