- Date
- October 6, 2015, 02:18 local (07:18 UTC)
- Place
- Jasper, TX
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4151QBeech A36
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report December 17, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA Houston FSDO
- Case key
- 92204
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 improper fuel planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and ditching the airplane in a lake.
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 pilot reported that during a night cross county flight, the first airport he landed at did not have fuel. He departed the airport for another airport that did have fuel. While en route, he stated that "the engine spluttered and failed to restart even after switching tanks and trying all emergency check list procedures." The pilot ditched the airplane in a lake; the occupants egressed from the airplane, and swam to shore without further incident. Upon recovery from the lake, the airplane had substantial damage to the fuselage. The assigned Federal Aviation Administration aviation safety inspector reported that when the airplane recovery personnel examined the airplane after the recovery from the lake, only one fuel tank had fuel located inside, approximately one quart. The pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during a night cross county flight, the first airport he landed at did not have fuel. He departed the airport for another airport that did have fuel. While en route, he stated that "the engine spluttered and failed to restart even after switching tanks and trying all emergency check list procedures." The pilot ditched the airplane in a lake; the occupants egressed from the airplane, and swam to shore without further incident. Upon recovery from the lake, the airplane had substantial damage to the fuselage. The assigned Federal Aviation Administration aviation safety inspector reported that when the airplane recovery personnel examined the airplane after the recovery from the lake, only one fuel tank had fuel located inside, approximately one quart. The pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4151Q
- Reported as
- Beech A36 (UNDESIGNAT)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- E-2679
- Built
- 1992
- Engine
- Continental Motors IO-550B15B, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Pacific Air Center LLC
- Registered owner
- Pacific Air Center LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 20, 2014
- Departed
- ELP · El Paso, TX
- Destination
- JAS · Jasper, TX
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS
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
- 27
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 1, 2014
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 487.2 total · 13.3 in this make and model · 418.7 as pilot in command · 68.3 in the last 90 days · 34.7 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.05 inHg
- Observed at
- KJAS, 8 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 3, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.2 MB in all.