- Date
- November 5, 2016, 16:43 local (20:43 UTC)
- Place
- Valdosta, GA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2CHBeech 58TC
- Defining event
- Enroute: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 7, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20161105018039A
- Case key
- 94347
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 failure to ensure that adequate fuel was onboard for the flight, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the loss of engine power.
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
According to the pilot of the twin-engine airplane, he descended from 7,000 ft and leveled off at 3,000 ft. After leveling off, the fuel quantity indicators fluctuated then showed empty. He recalled that, about 5 minutes after leveling off, the right engine began to run very roughly, so he enriched the right engine's mixture and activated the auxiliary fuel pump. He added that, subsequently, "the right engine failed and the left engine simultaneously began losing power." The pilot declared an emergency with air traffic control, began receiving vectors, and the left engine lost power. The pilot pitched the airplane for best glide distance. He selected the nearest suitable landing area, extended the landing gear and flaps, and landed the airplane in a field. During the landing roll, he turned the airplane to the right to avoid a collision with obstacles, and the nose landing gear bounced several times and separated from the airplane. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage bulkheads, longerons, and stringers. The pilot believed that, due to his failure to visually check the fuel level, he overestimated the amount of fuel on board. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot of the twin-engine airplane, he was descended from 7,000 ft. and leveled off at 3,000 ft. After leveling off, the fuel quantity indicators fluctuated then showed empty. He recalled that about 5 minutes after leveling off, the right engine began to run very rough, so he enriched the right engine's mixture, and activated the auxiliary fuel pump. Subsequently, "the right engine failed and the left engine simultaneously began losing power". The pilot declared an emergency with air traffic control, began receiving vectors, and the left engine lost power. The pilot pitched the airplane for best glide distance. He selected the nearest suitable landing area, extended the landing gear and flaps, and landed the airplane in a field. During the landing roll, he turned the airplane to the right to avoid a collision with obstacles, the nose landing gear bounced several times and separated from the airplane. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage bulkheads, longerons and stringers. The pilot believed that due to his failure to visually check the fuel level, he overestimated the amount of fuel on board. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2CH
- Reported as
- Beech 58TC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- TK-72
- Built
- 1978
- Airframe hours
- 4,654
- Engines
- Continental TSIO-520-WB, 325 horsepower, reciprocatingContinental TSIO-520-WB, 325 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- H3 Aviation, LLC
- Registered owner
- H3 Aviation, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 16, 2016
- Departed
- KCAE · Columbia, SC
- Destination
- 4J5 · Quitman, GA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Onboard weather
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
- 41
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 10, 2015
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 515 total · 85 in this make and model · 484 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
- Observed at
- KVLD
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 4, 2017, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 972 KB 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.