# NTSB FTW98LA281: Rockwell Commander 112, N1188J, Las Vegas, NM, June 20, 1998 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 20, 1998, 12:30 local (18:30 UTC) - Place: Las Vegas, NM - Coordinates: 35.589763, -105.220901 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.5898&lon=-105.2209&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor - Status: Completed, report February 15, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 20660 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=FTW98LA281 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/20660/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW98LA281 ## Probable cause The pilot's improper preflight planning/preparation for a cross country flight resulting in fuel exhaustion and subsequent loss of engine power. Factors were, unsuitable terrain, lack of total aviation experience, and lack of total experience in make/model of aircraft. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power, cruise - fluid,fuel - exhaustion - procedures/directives - misjudged, pilot in command (cause) - lack of total experience in type of aircraft, pilot in command (contributing factor) - On ground/water collision with object, emergency landing - terrain condition - congested/confined area (contributing factor) - terrain condition - none suitable ## Analysis The pilot received his pilot's license on May 11, 1996 and had accumulated 78 hours of flight experience. He recently purchased this complex airplane and had 7.3 hours of experience in it before the accident flight. He was conducting a cross-country flight and diverted south through New Mexico due to turbulence. The pilot stated that his initial time en route was 1.5 hours, however, investigation revealed that he had airborne for 2.5 hours and that the aircraft normally burns 10-14 gallons per hour. He said he lost engine power near Las Vegas, New Mexico, due to 'fuel exhaustion' and landed in soft vegetated terrain. The pilot reported that 'his fuel gauges indicated that he had fuel, so he continued to fly.' He latter reported that he had put 25 gallons of fuel on the airplane before the flight in which the accident occurred. ## Factual narrative On June 20, 1998, at 1230 mountain daylight time, a Rockwell Commander 112, N1188J, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power 15 miles southeast of Las Vegas Airport, near Las Vegas, New Mexico. The private pilot, the sole occupant aboard, sustained minor injuries. The airplane was being operated by the pilot under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for cross-country personal flight which originated from Cortez, Colorado, approximately 2 hours 30 minutes before the accident. No flight plan was filed. According to FAA records, the pilot received his pilot's license on May 11, 1996, and he reported that he had accumulated 78 hours of flight experience by the time of the accident. According to the pilot's accident report, he was flying cross-country from Cortez to Denver and diverted south through New Mexico due to turbulence. The pilot stated that his initial time en route was 1.5 hours but, in the narrative section of the pilot's accident report he stated his departure time from Cortez was 1000 mountain daylight time, and the time of the accident was 1230 mountain daylight time, which would have made his flight time 2.5 hours. He said he lost engine power near Las Vegas, New Mexico, due to "fuel exhaustion" and made a forced landing in a field inhabited by "cows, numerous trees, and surrounded by a fence." The left wing was severed from the airplane. According to a Textron-Lycoming representative, fuel consumption for this make and model engine running at 75% power is 10-14 gallons per hour. When the pilot landed at Cortez on June 16, 1998, he told the lineman to put 25 gallons of fuel in the airplane. The lineman reported to the Investigator-In-Charge that when he removed the fuel tank caps, "he could not see any fuel in the tanks--the fuel tanks looked very empty." The pilot recently purchased this airplane and had received 1.3 hours of instruction in it. He had logged 6 hours of cross-country time in this make and model prior to the accident flight. The pilot reported that "this was the total of his complex aircraft flight time [aircraft that has a retractable landing gear, flaps, and controllable propeller]." The pilot reported that "his fuel gauges indicated that he had fuel, so he continued to fly." ## Aircraft - Registration: [N1188J](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1188J-2013-11-04), registration cancelled 2013-11-04, S/N 187, built 1974 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Rockwell COMMANDER 112 (COMMANDER) - Registry model: [Aero Commander 112](https://openairdocs.org/model/aero-commander-112) (registry code 0144701) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming I0360 SER A&C](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-i0360-ser-a-c) (registry code 41511, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 187 - Airframe hours: 2387 - Engines: Lycoming IO-360-C1D6 200 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Todd L. Flannery - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, April 4, 1998, 138 hours before - Departed: CEZ, CORTEZ, CO - Destination: FTG, DENVER, CO ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 22; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 1, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left; flight hours: 78 total, 7 in this make and model, 48 as pilot in command, 14 in the last 90 days, 2 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 240° at 18 knots, gusting 26 - Visibility: 35 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 84 °F, dew point 21 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: LVS, 15 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19980620028379A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980620028379A), Jun 20, 1998: Gulstm 112, Las Vegas, NM, Substantial damage. (.4)The pilot received his pilot's license on may 11, 1998 and had accumulated 78 hours of flight experience. He recently purchased this complex airplane and… 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.