- Date
- June 22, 2016, 16:15 local (21:15 UTC)
- Place
- Burnet, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N223CGPiper PA 12
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern base: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 31, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20160622015329A
- Case key
- 93505
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 student pilot's failure to maintain adequate fuel levels, which resulted in fuel starvation, a loss of engine power, and a forced landing. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor's failure to monitor the fuel levels.
Findings · 4
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 flight instructor of the amphibious float-equipped airplane reported that after an instructional lesson, while returning to the airport, the student pilot was too low "while turning base leg" of the traffic pattern so the student pilot moved the throttle forward to add power, but the engine did not respond. The flight instructor further reported that he took control of the airplane and made an off airport landing. During the landing, the airplane impacted a low hanging tree limb. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. A postaccident examination by the Federal Aviation Administration aviation safety inspector revealed that the fuel tanks contained less than one gallon of fuel on board the airplane. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor of the amphibious float-equipped airplane reported that after an instructional lesson, while returning to the airport, the student pilot was too low "while turning base leg" of the traffic pattern so the student pilot moved the throttle forward to add power, but the engine did not respond. The flight instructor further reported that he took control of the airplane and made an off airport landing. During the landing, the airplane impacted a low hanging tree limb. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. A postaccident examination by the Federal Aviation Administration aviation safety inspector revealed that the fuel tanks contained less than one gallon of fuel on board the airplane. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N223CG
- Reported as
- Piper PA 12 (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 12-2480
- Built
- 1946
- Airframe hours
- 4,960.3
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 27, 2016
- Departed
- BMQ · Burnet, TX
- Destination
- BMQ · Burnet, TX
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- BMQ · Burnet Muni Kate Craddock Fiel
- Equipment
- None
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 37
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 13, 2015
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 2,433 total · 196 in this make and model · 2,279 as pilot in command · 115 in the last 90 days · 44 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 51
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 9, 2015
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 330 total · 8 in this make and model · 207 as pilot in command · 29 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 10 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- KBMQ, 1 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 17, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.5 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.