- Date
- September 5, 2011, 11:08 local (15:08 UTC)
- Place
- Beaufort, NC
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N334JHHaines Joseph E SHA-GLASAIR
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Loss of engine power (total)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 27, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA / FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110905022919A
- Case key
- 81742
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 improper fuel management, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
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 conducted a preflight inspection of the airplane, which included checking the fuel tanks for water. The startup and taxi were normal. After takeoff, the pilot raised the wing flaps and turned to the right. While rolling out of the turn, the engine coughed, ran, and then lost power. The airplane was about 150 feet above ground level. The pilot tried to land on another runway, but he did not have enough altitude or airspeed to complete his turn to final approach. He landed on an unpaved portion of the airport and impacted heavy brush, and the airplane structure sustained substantial damage. The pilot said that the engine lost power due to fuel starvation because he had not put any fuel in the wing tanks and forgot to switch the fuel feed to the header tank.
Factual narrative
Prior to the flight the pilot preflighted the airplane. He checked the oil quantity and sumped the fuel tanks for water. Start up and taxi was normal. After takeoff the pilot raised the wing flaps and turned to the right. While rolling out of the turn the engine coughed, ran, and then quit. The airplane at this time was approximately 150 feet above ground level. The pilot tried to land on one of the airport's other runways but, he did not have enough altitude or airspeed to complete his turn to final. He then landed the airplane on an unpaved portion of the airport and impacted heavy brush. The airplane structure was substantially damaged. When asked about the engine failure by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the pilot advised that the engine failed due to fuel starvation because he had not put any fuel in the wing tanks, and forgot to feed from the header tank.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N334JH
- Reported as
- Haines Joseph E SHA-GLASAIR
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 608
- Airframe hours
- 1,074
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · June 5, 2011
- Departed
- MRH · Beaufort, NC
- Destination
- MRH · Beaufort, NC
- Airport
- MRH · Michael J. Smith Field Airport, runway 21, 4,191 × 147 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
- 77
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 23, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 22,782 total · 1,074 in this make and model · 12,000 as pilot in command · 16 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,800 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.89 inHg
- Observed at
- MRH
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 9, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.4 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.