- Date
- September 1, 2024, 11:38 local (15:38 UTC)
- Place
- Trinity, VA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N136TRRedfield Thomas C RV-6A
- Defining event
- Enroute: 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
- 20240901019809A
- Case key
- 195060
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’ improper in-flight fuel management, which resulted in a total 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
The pilot reported that before departing for the 508 nautical mile cross-country flight, he had a total of 38 gallons of fuel onboard. After departing his home airport, the pilot climbed the airplane to 11,000 ft mean sea level (msl) and was flying “[visual flight rules] on top.” While at 11,000 ft msl, the pilot requested radar vectors around some weather from air traffic control (ATC), during which time, the pilot noticed that his fuel consumption was much higher than he had anticipated. The pilot asked ATC for radar vectors to the nearest airport. The pilot described that the airplane “ran out of fuel” about 7 miles from the diversion airport. The pilot performed a forced landing in a field, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane’s fuselage and wings. A postaccident examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that both wing fuel tanks were absent of fuel and there was no evidence of a fuel leak. After the airplane was recovered, the airframe and engine’s fuel systems were examined in detail and there was no evidence of any preimpact anomalies or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N136TR
- Reported as
- Redfield Thomas C RV-6A
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 34132
- Built
- 2000
- Airframe hours
- 803
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 3, 2024 · 31.6 hours before
- Departed
- VPZ · Valparaison, IN
- Destination
- FCI · Richmond, VA
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display
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
- 66
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Unknown, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 21, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 227.3 total · 80 in this make and model · 127.9 as pilot in command · 6.4 in the last 90 days · 1.3 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 11,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.05 inHg
- Observed at
- ROA, 9 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KROA 011554Z VRB06KT 10SM FEW095 BKN110 26/20 A3005 RMK AO2 SLP163 T02560200=
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 21, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.2 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.