- Date
- November 7, 2022, 15:35, time zone not recorded
- Place
- Cross City, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N91RRPipistrel D O O Virus SW
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20221107019129A
- Case key
- 106259
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 pilots’ inadequate preflight fuel planning and improper in-flight fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and subsequent deployment of the ballistic parachute recovery system.
Findings · 3
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 two pilots were conducting multiple cross-country flights the day of the accident with the purpose of building flight time as part of an air carrier pilot development program. The pilots departed for the fourth leg of the day and the left seat pilot was primarily flying for this leg. Both pilots reported that while enroute they noticed the fuel level was low. Subsequently, about 15 nautical miles from the destination, the engine lost all power. The left seat pilot reported that the right seat pilot took control of the airplane after the loss of power. About 600 feet above ground level (agl) the right seat pilot deployed the ballistic parachute recovery system when it became clear that they would not be able to glide to an airport. The impact with the ground resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. Post-accident inspection of the fuel system showed no fuel visible in either wing tank and no fuel visible in the inline fuel filters. The left seat pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N91RR
- Reported as
- Pipistrel D O O Virus SW (121C)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- VSWX121C0106
- Built
- 2022
- Airframe hours
- 123.1
- Engine
- Rotax 912 S3-01, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Right Rudder Aviation
- Registered owner
- Mesa Airlines Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · November 4, 2022
- Departed
- 2J9 · Quincy, FL
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- CTY · Cross City
- Equipment
- Angle of attack indicator, Handheld GPS, Airframe parachute, Stall warning system
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 44
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,100 total · 70 in this make and model · 70 in the last 90 days · 70 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 27
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 22, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,240 total · 40 in this make and model · 1,000 as pilot in command · 90 in the last 90 days · 55 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- CTY, 3 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KCTY 072035Z AUTO 06005KT 10SM SCT050 SCT065 29/17 A3009 RMK AO2 T02910167
Docket · 9
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 9, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 20.9 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.