- Date
- November 22, 1998, 09:28 local (16:28 UTC)
- Place
- Chandler, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N78114Varga 2150A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 22, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19981122040359A
- Case key
- 45370
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
Fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's failure to perform an adequate preflight of the aircraft to ensure that adequate fuel was available for the flight.
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
The pilot had an engine failure while en route to his destination. He reported that there were no services available at the departure airport, and he did not perform a visual preflight check of the fuel tanks to determine quantity before departure. The engine failed approximately 8 miles from the airport, and the pilot made a forced landing in a residential farming area. The aircraft landed in a plowed field, proceeded to cross a road, hit a street sign, and finally hit a residential block wall. Upon examination, the fuel system continuity was established and a total of 4 ounces of fuel was found in the tanks and the lines.
Factual narrative
On November 22, 1998, at 0928 hours mountain standard time, a Varga 2150A, N78114, lost power shortly before landing at the Chandler, Arizona, airport, and force landed in a residential area. During the landing, the aircraft collided with multiple ground obstructions. The aircraft, owned and operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91, took off from Payson Arizona, about 0850 and was destined for Chandler. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft sustained substantial damage. Neither the private pilot nor the one passenger onboard was injured.
In a written statement, the pilot stated that he was on a flight from Chandler to Payson with a planned return to Chandler. He reported there were no fuel services available in Payson and he departed for the return leg to Chandler. The pilot further stated he had an engine failure approximately 8 miles from the Chandler airport, over a residential farming area. The engine sputtered for several seconds and quit. The pilot attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful. He landed the airplane in a plowed field, crossed a road, collided with a street sign, and finally hit a residential block wall.
In a phone interview on June 18, 1999, the pilot stated that he added 10 gallons of automotive fuel to top the tanks off before departing Chandler. The pilot further stated that there were no other mechanical malfunctions with the aircraft. The pilot said he did not perform a visual preflight check of the fuel quantity before departing Payson.
The company that retrieved the aircraft, Air Transport of Phoenix, Arizona, documented the fuel system during disassembly of the aircraft for movement. All tanks, lines, and the fuel cap seals were intact. The fuel system was drained and a total of 4 ounces of fuel were found in the tanks and lines.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N78114
- Reported as
- Varga 2150A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- VAC-114-78
- Airframe hours
- 1,568
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2C, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ronald A. Starling
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 5, 1998 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- E69 · Payson, AZ
- Destination
- CHD
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
- 42
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 2,427 total · 68 in this make and model · 2,427 as pilot in command · 42 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PHX, 15 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.