- Date
- August 16, 2000, 07:15 local (14:15 UTC)
- Place
- Olancha, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6543RSchweizer G-164B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 27, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 50011
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 inadequate preflight planning and fuel consumption calculations, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a loss of engine power.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
While in the cruise portion of a positioning flight, the engine lost power. During the forced landing on a dirt road, which had shoulders higher than the roadbed, the lower left wing dug into a dirt shoulder and the airplane nosed over. The pilot told the deputy he thought the airplane might be out of fuel. The deputy did not observe fuel leaking on the ground or any wet spots under the inverted airplane. After the airplane was righted during recovery, the Federal Aviation Administration accident coordinator noted 3 gallons of fuel were drained from the fuel system. The operator said this represented the unusable fuel quantity for this airplane.
Factual narrative
On August 16, 2000, about 0715 hours Pacific daylight time, a Schweizer G-164B, N6543R, sustained substantial damage when it nosed over during a forced landing on a dirt road near Olancha, California. The forced landing was precipitated by a loss of engine power during cruise. San Joaquin Helicopters, Inc., operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The commercial pilot sustained minor injuries. The positioning flight departed Delano, California, about 0550, and was en route to Lone Pine, California, where it was to be refueled and loaded with chemicals for aerial application work. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed.
The pilot told a responding sheriff's deputy the engine lost power and he attempted to land on a dirt road. The roadbed was lower than the dirt shoulders. The lower left wing dug into the shoulder and the airplane nosed over. The pilot thought the airplane might be out of fuel. The deputy did not observe fuel leaking on the ground or any wet spots under the inverted airplane.
The operator said the airplane had a main fuel tank containing 48 gallons and an auxiliary 17-gallon tank. The Federal Aviation Administration accident coordinator observed the operator recover the airplane. After the airplane was righted during recovery, he noted that recovery personnel drained 3 gallons of fuel from the fuel system. The operator said this represented the unusable fuel quantity for this airplane.
In his written statement, the pilot said there was no mechanical malfunction of the airplane or engine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6543R
- Reported as
- Schweizer G-164B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 362B
- Airframe hours
- 8,846
- Engine
- P&W 1340, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Registered owner
- San Joaquin Helicopters
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 17, 2000 · 12 hours before
- Departed
- DLO · Delano, CA
- Destination
- O26 · Lone Pine, CA
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 56
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 20,000 total · 4,000 in this make and model · 20,000 as pilot in command · 250 in the last 90 days · 100 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 145 °F, dew point 93 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BIH, 69 nm away