- Date
- June 5, 2016, 12:05 local (16:05 UTC)
- Place
- Fairfield, NJ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N444VTBeech F33A
- Defining event
- Approach-IFR missed approach: Loss of engine power (total)
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 14, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20160605024269A
- Case key
- 93302
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 failure to adequately manage the available fuel supply, resulting in fuel starvation 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 of the single-engine airplane stated that he departed on a cross country flight but did not visually check the amount of fuel in the main tanks before departure and relied on his fuel gauges, which indicated 2/3-full (left tank) and 1/2-full (right tank). Both wingtip fuel tanks were empty. The pilot departed with the fuel selector on the left main tank. He then switched over to the right main tank while en route, but noticed the needle on the fuel gauge was not moving as the flight progressed. The flight was uneventful and the pilot made an instrument approach into his destination airport; however, he had to execute a missed approach due to low clouds. During the missed approach procedure he entered visual conditions and asked air traffic control (ATC) if he could maintain visual conditions and circle to land. The pilot said that as he was turning crosswind the engine began to run rough and stopped producing power. He tried to re-start the engine twice as he prepared for a forced landing to a closer runway. The pilot did not have time to switch the fuel selector to the left tank and ended up striking trees and landing short of the runway threshold. A postaccident examination revealed substantial damage to the firewall and fuselage. The landing gear was also damaged. Neither the left nor right wing fuel tanks were breached. About 20 oz of fuel was drained from the right main tank and about 21 gallons of fuel were drained from the left main tank. Though the pilot said the right fuel gauge was not reading properly, he acknowledged that he should have monitored fuel burn rate over a given period of time versus relying on just the fuel gauge.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the single-engine airplane stated that he departed on a cross country flight but did not visually check the amount of fuel in the main tanks before departure and relied on his fuel gauges, which indicated 2/3-full (left tank) and 1/2-full (right tank). Both wingtip fuel tanks were empty. The pilot departed with the fuel selector on the left main tank. He then switched over to the right main tank while en route, but noticed the needle on the fuel gauge was not moving as the flight progressed. The flight was uneventful and the pilot made an instrument approach into his destination airport; however, he had to execute a missed approach due to low clouds. During the missed approach procedure he entered visual conditions and asked air traffic control (ATC) if he could maintain visual conditions and circle to land. The pilot said that as he was turning crosswind the engine began to run rough and stopped producing power. He tried to re-start the engine twice as he prepared for a forced landing to a closer runway. The pilot did not have time to switch the fuel selector to the left tank and ended up striking trees and landing short of the runway threshold. A postaccident examination revealed substantial damage to the firewall and fuselage. The landing gear was also damaged. Neither the left nor right wing fuel tanks were breached. About 20 oz of fuel was drained from the right main tank and about 21 gallons of fuel were drained from the left main tank. Though the pilot said the right fuel gauge was not reading properly, he acknowledged that he should have monitored fuel burn rate over a given period of time versus relying on just the fuel gauge.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N444VT
- Reported as
- Beech F33A (A)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- CE-1073
- Built
- 1985
- Airframe hours
- 3,784
- Engine
- Continental Motors IO-550-B5F, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 21, 2015 · 41 hours before
- Departed
- BED · Bedford, MA
- Destination
- CDW · Caldwell, NJ
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- CDW · Essex County, runway 10, 3,719 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot
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
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 2, 2016
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 2,100 total · 50 in this make and model · 2,000 as pilot in command · 57 in the last 90 days · 29 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.81 inHg
- Observed at
- CDW
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 27, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.4 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.