- Date
- December 1, 2012, 14:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N2196WBeech B19
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern downwind: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 10, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20121201025919A
- Case key
- 85722
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 fuel exhaustion and a total loss of engine power.
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 reported that the purpose of the flight was an orientation for two potential student pilots. The pilot said that he completed a visual inspection of the fuel tanks and that he estimated that the fuel tanks contained 10 gallons of fuel, which he determined, would have been adequate for the flight. The pilot completed two traffic patterns, and as he climbed the airplane to the downwind leg of the third pattern, the engine lost power and "surged" during the subsequent forced landing. The pilot requested an emergency landing to runway 13 but amended his request to runway 8 because the airplane was "too high." He subsequently determined the airplane was "too low" for runway 8, and the airplane touched down hard on a taxiway and skidded to a stop in the grass infield. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the cabin floor structure. Examination revealed that the airplane contained no fuel, and the pilot reported that he had exhausted his fuel supply.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was an orientation for two potential student pilots. During preflight, the pilot estimated that the fuel tanks contained 10 gallons of fuel, which he determined would be adequate for the flight. After completing two traffic patterns, and climbing the airplane to the downwind leg of the third pattern, the engine lost power, and "surged" during the subsequent forced landing. The pilot requested an emergency landing to runway 13, but amended his request to runway 8 because the airplane was "too high." He subsequently determined the airplane was "too low" for runway 8 and touched down hard on a taxiway, and skidded to a stop in the grass infield. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the cabin floor structure, but the occupants were not injured. Examination revealed that the airplane contained no fuel, and the pilot reported that he had exhausted his fuel supply.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2196W
- Reported as
- Beech B19
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- MB-690
- Airframe hours
- 4,606
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Status Air
- Registered owner
- Steven George Gilchrist
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 5, 2012 · 62 hours before
- Departed
- FXE · Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Destination
- FXE · Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- FXE · Ft. Lauderdale Executive, runway 08, 6,001 × 100 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
- 33
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 18, 2012
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 365 total · 22 in this make and model · 176 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days · 22 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 12 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.13 inHg
- Observed at
- FXE
Docket · 8
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 25, 2013, 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.