# NTSB FTW04CA002: Price Cuby Acro Trainer, N300HS, Canutillo, TX, October 4, 2003 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: October 4, 2003, 14:52 local (19:52 UTC) - Place: Canutillo, TX - Coordinates: 31.806667, -106.377777 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=31.8067&lon=-106.3778&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report March 2, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Albuquerque FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 58086 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=FTW04CA002 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/58086/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW04CA002 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to refuel the airplane, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. A contributing factor was the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning and decision making. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power, cruise - refueling - not performed, pilot in command (contributing factor) - fuel system - exhaustion (cause) - in-flight planning/decision - inadequate, pilot in command (contributing factor) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, emergency landing - terrain condition - ground ## Analysis After a previous flight that morning, the pilot refueled the airplane with 29 gallons of fuel. During cruise flight, he decided not to stop at his original fuel stop and he continued on to his final destination. Approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes into the flight, at 6,500 feet msl, the engine "suddenly lost power," and he initiated a forced landing to a nearby gravel road. During the landing roll, he noticed some children directly in front of the aircraft and applied maximum brakes to avoid them. Subsequently, the airplane nosed-over and came to rest on its nose. The pilot reported the airplane ran out of fuel. No performance data besides that recorded from the previous owner/builder of the airplane were available. ## Factual narrative On October 4, 2003, approximately 1452 central daylight time, a Price Cuby Acro Trainer single-engine experimental airplane, N300HS, registered to and operated by a private individual, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Canutillo, Texas. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The cross-country flight departed the Sky Ranch at Carefree Airport (18AZ), Carefree, Arizona, approximately 1030 mountain daylight time, and was destined for El Paso International Airport (ELP), near El Paso, Texas. The 800-hour pilot reported to the NTSB investigator-in-charge after a previous flight that morning, he refueled the airplane with 29 gallons of fuel. He planned for a fuel burn of 6 gal/hr, and had a groundspeed of 95 plus knots due to favorable winds. The pilot reported that he had about 1 inch of fuel indicating on the fuel sight gauges, and they indicate empty when there is no fuel left in the wing tanks. There was no mixture control, but the fuel injector compensated for altitude. During cruise flight, he decided to not stop at his original fuel stop, which was Lordsburg Municipal Airport (LSB), near Lordsburg, New Mexico, and he elected to continue on to his final destination. Approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes into the flight, while at 6,500 feet msl, the engine "suddenly lost power," and he initiated a forced landing to a nearby gravel road. During the landing roll, he noticed some children were directly in front of the aircraft and applied maximum breaking to avoid them. Subsequently, the airplane nosed-over and came to rest on its nose. The pilot reported the airplane ran out of fuel. No performance data was available besides that recorded from the previous owner/builder of the airplane. According to the FAA inspector, who responded to the accident site, the front cowling was bent, and the rudder had sustained structural damage. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N300HS](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N300HS-2014-09-03), registration cancelled 2014-09-03, S/N PRICE3, built 1979 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Price Cuby Acro Trainer - Registry model: [Price Gordon CUBY ACRO TRAINER](https://openairdocs.org/model/price-gordon-cuby-acro-trainer) (registry code 05624DP) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental 0-200 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-200-series) (registry code 17020, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: PRICE 3 - Engines: Continental O-200 - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Part 91 - Operator: Brian Feaver, doing business as 111 Jackson Oaks Drive - Registered owner: Brian Feaver - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Departed: 18AZ, Carefree, AZ - Destination: ELP, El Paso, TX ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 44; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land, single-engine sea; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3; flight hours: 800 total, 800 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 160° at 3 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 81 °F, dew point 54 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: ELP From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.