- Date
- June 25, 2011, 17:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Brasstown, NC
- Injuries
- 3 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N99PMHelio H-295
- Defining event
- Enroute-descent: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 3, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110625013969A
- Case key
- 80904
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 inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in a 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
While the flight was descending for landing, the airplane's engine lost power. The pilot was able restore engine power for a few seconds, but the engine then sputtered and lost power again. The pilot was unable to restart the engine, so he set up a glide for the airstrip he was descending to. There was a headwind and, when he realized he could not make the airstrip, the pilot performed a forced landing in a field. The airplane's landing gear struck the top of a tree and the airplane pitched down and impacted the ground, where it sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and tail. A postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed that all of the fuel tanks were devoid of fuel and only three drops of fuel were discovered in the carburetor and fuel supply line. The pilot stated that there was no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunction of the airplane or engine.
Factual narrative
While descending for landing the airplane's engine lost power. The pilot was able restore engine power for a few seconds but it then sputtered and lost power again. The pilot was unable to restart the engine, so he set up a glide for the airstrip he was descending to. There was a headwind and when he realized he could not make the airstrip, the pilot performed a forced landing in a field. The airplane's landing gear struck the top of a tree, and the airplane pitched down and impacted the ground sustaining substantial damage to the fuselage and tail. Examination of the airplane and engine by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that, all of the fuel tanks were devoid of fuel and only three drops of fuel were discovered in the carburetor and fuel supply line. There was no evidence of any pre-impact mechanical malfunction of the airplane or engine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N99PM
- Reported as
- Helio H-295
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1208
- Airframe hours
- 2,546
- Engine
- Lycoming GO-480-G1D6, 295 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gary Schmitt
- Registered owner
- G-Dawg LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 15, 2011
- Departed
- 1A5 · Franklin, NC
- Destination
- Brasstown, NC
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
- 57
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 25, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,863 total · 341 in this make and model · 5,863 as pilot in command · 97 in the last 90 days · 37 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.01 inHg
- Observed at
- RHP, 10 nm away
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 27, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.3 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.
Other investigations on N99PM · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.