- Date
- December 21, 2015, 12:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Wallace, NC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N141MDDavis Michael J MD Special
- Defining event
- Enroute: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 5, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20151221022289A
- Case key
- 92574
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.
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 during a cross country flight, he "ran out" of fuel, and subsequently had to land on a two lane road. The pilot further reported that during the landing roll the right wing impacted a road sign, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing. According to the pilot 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 cross country flight, he "ran out" of fuel, and subsequently had to land on a two lane road. The pilot further reported that during the landing roll the right wing impacted a road sign, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing. According to the pilot there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N141MD
- Reported as
- Davis Michael J MD Special
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 001
- Built
- 1996
- Airframe hours
- 738
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A2, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 7, 2015
- Departed
- HWV · Shirley, NY
- Destination
- ACZ · Wallace, NC
- Airport
- ACZ · Henderson Field
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Handheld GPS, 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
- 65
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 2, 2013
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 564.5 total · 290.7 in this make and model · 500 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 3.4 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.40 inHg
- Observed at
- KOAJ, 17 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 10, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 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.