# NTSB LAX99LA174: Cessna T303, N3303S, San Diego, CA, May 8, 1999 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 7, 1999, 22:30 local (May 8, 1999, 05:30 UTC) - Place: San Diego, CA - Coordinates: 32.799247, -117.130249 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.7992&lon=-117.1302&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report November 22, 2000 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 46314 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX99LA174 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/46314/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX99LA174 ## Probable cause The pilot-in-command's inaccurate fuel consumption calculations that resulted in fuel exhaustion and the subsequent ditching. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, missed approach (ifr) - all engines - fluid,fuel - exhaustion - fuel consumption calculations - inaccurate, pilot in command (cause) - Ditching, descent - emergency - terrain condition - water - light condition - dark night ## Analysis The airplane departed Houston, Texas, for a VFR flight to San Diego, California. The pilot in the left seat said that they originally planned to purchase fuel at Gila Bend, Arizona, but were told that the fueling was closed. The left seat pilot said they elected to land at a private airstrip and made arrangements to have an individual drive to Casa Grande airport to purchase fuel for them. The left seat pilot said they were worried about adequate runway length, so they elected to only purchase 65 gallons of fuel for the remainder of the flight to San Diego. En route to San Diego, the right seat pilot obtained weather for the destination from FSS and was advised of 1,000-foot overcast ceiling. The right seat pilot then requested and received an instrument clearance. The TRACON controller advised the pilot of the accident airplane that he would have to keep speed up due to jet traffic or be given delay vectors for traffic spacing. The pilot told ATC that they were fuel critical and later said they had about 45 minutes to 1 hour of fuel. The right seat pilot was cleared for the localizer runway 27 approach. Approximately 18 minutes later, the pilot elected to do a missed approach because he was too high to land and moments later told San Diego radar that he was fuel critical and only had about 5 minutes of fuel left. San Diego radar began to give the pilot vectors to the closest airport and told the pilot not to descend any further. The right seat pilot replied that they were a glider and later told San Diego police that they had run out of fuel. There were no discrepancies noted with either the airframe or the engines during the postaccident aircraft examination. ## Factual narrative HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 7, 1999, at 2230 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna T303, N3303S, impacted the water in San Diego Bay following a loss of power in both engines during a missed approach to runway 27 at Lindbergh Field, San Diego, California. The airplane was owned and operated by the second pilot, who holds a private pilot certificate without a multiengine class rating. The aircraft sank in the bay and sustained substantial damage. The airline transport pilot, who was at the controls flying from the right seat, and the private pilot, who was in the left seat, were not injured. The personal cross-country flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The airplane had departed from Sugar Land Airport, Houston, Texas, at 1330 central daylight time on the day of the accident and was destined for San Diego. No flight plan was filed for the flight; however, the pilot had requested and received an instrument clearance for the approach into San Diego. Basic visual meteorological conditions prevailed with 7 miles visibility and a 1,000-foot overcast ceiling at the time of the accident. The pilot of the airplane contacted San Diego Flight Service Station (AFSS), en route to San Diego and asked to obtain the weather for Lindbergh field. AFSS replied that the last report for Lindbergh was "wind one five zero at four, visibility seven, ceiling one thousand overcast, temperature one four, dew point one two, vfr flight not recommended." The pilot then replied that they'd like to have flight following and mentioned that they'd file an IFR flight plan at a later time. At 2120, the pilot filed an IFR flight plan and requested a routing via victor 66 direct to San Diego. The pilot contacted San Diego AFSS at 2146 and inquired about the weather at Gillespie field as an alternate airport. San Diego FSS reported that the weather for Gillespie field was missing, but that Montgomery field was reporting 5 miles, visibility mist, and ceiling 600 broken. The pilot contacted San Diego West Radar Sector (SDWR) at 2159 and said his destination was Lindbergh field. SDWR told the pilot that the Lindbergh weather was: "wind one five zero at four, visibility seven, ceiling one thousand overcast, altimeter two niner niner two, runway two seven in use, expect localizer approach." Seven minutes later SDWR told the pilot to maintain maximum forward airspeed due to jet traffic behind him, and if he missed this opportunity, he would be delayed quite a bit. At 2209, SDWR told the pilot that he was "not fast enough and to turn right heading three one zero delay vectors." At 2210:05, the pilot said "San Diego from zero three sierra, we're kinda fuel critical if we keep our speed up better can we come on in?" SDWR replied, "uh no sir, fly heading three one zero, you have an American jet behind you about ten miles going almost three times as fast," then asked the pilot how much time in fuel he had. The pilot replied "oh, forty five minutes, an hour perhaps." At 2214:53, SDWR told the pilot to turn right heading 260 and intercept the localizer. He then cleared the airplane for the localizer runway 27 approach at 2215:46, and was subsequently told to contact Lindbergh tower 2 minutes later. San Diego Air Traffic Control Tower (SAN) told SDWR via landline at 2221:11, that the airplane was going around because he was "too high." On initial checkin with SDWR at 2227:19 the pilot said, "we're uh fuel critical at this point." SDWR asked the pilot how much time he had in fuel. The pilot replied, "we are just about there now." He later stated that he had 5 minutes of fuel left. SDWR told the pilot that there was an airport 1 o'clock, 8 miles that was VFR, and asked him if he'd like to head toward that airport. The pilot replied, affirmative. SDWR told the pilot that there was an airport 12 o'clock, 6 miles and the airport was Brown airport. The pilot asked for the radio frequency for Brown and was told there was no tower there and then told the pilot not to descend any further. At 2229:45, the pilot stated, "we can't help it, we're a glider now." SDWR said "understand you have lost your engines . . . ", and the pilot replied affirmative, and that they had them feathered. Two minutes later the pilot told SDWR that they were out of the clouds, then radio contact was lost. According to a San Diego Police Department Regional Officer's report, their dispatch received a telephone call from San Diego Sheriff's department stating that an airplane had crashed in the South San Diego Bay. Officers responded to the scene about 0035, and they found the Cessna tail up in 5 1/2 feet of water. Two adult men were standing atop the fuselage and they were recovered and told the police department personnel they were unhurt. Police department officers had the two men evaluated by emergency medical personnel and also contacted the Safety Board. The two men told Safety Board personnel "they ran out of gas." Both pilots told San Diego officers that they intended to stop at Gila Bend, Arizona, for fuel but they were told that services were not available for that airport. They said they landed at a private ranch airport and took on 3 hours of fuel. They said that after they arrived at Lindbergh Field they were told to circle, and they were "fuel critical" and they could not make the runway a second time and had to put the airplane down. The private pilot was interviewed by telephone and reported to Safety Board investigators that they departed from Houston, and that they were intending to fly to San Diego, Lindbergh Field. They originally planned on landing at Gila Bend to top the aircraft off with fuel. While they were talking on the CTAF frequency, another pilot told them that the fueling was closed at Gila Bend. The right seat pilot decided to land at a nearby private airstrip for fuel and they touched down approximately 1830-1900. They made arrangements to have a pickup truck with a fuel tank in the bed drive to the Casa Grande Airport and purchase 65 gallons of 100 low lead fuel and return to the airstrip. The left seat pilot said they put in approximately 63 gallons of fuel, drained fuel samples, and did not see any sediment or water in the fuel. He said that the right seat pilot was concerned about the length of the runway, which he stated was less than 2,000 feet, so they limited the amount of fuel they purchased. En route to San Diego, the right seat pilot called flight service to find out about weather in the San Diego area, and, after hearing that instrument conditions existed, requested a clearance to Lindbergh Field. The left seat pilot stated that air traffic control (ATC) had them fly toward the VOR, then to an unknown intersection, and then proceed directly to San Diego. He said that when they received their IFR clearance, he estimated that they had 1:30 to 1:40 hours of fuel left. He said that approximately 30-40 miles from the airport, ATC told them to increase their speed for spacing and that they were unable to do so. He then said ATC took them out on vectors for traffic, then sequenced them back in for the approach. During the approach on the localizer runway 27, he said they broke out of the clouds at minimums, and were about 600-700 feet above the runway threshold and unable to make a normal landing from that altitude. The right seat pilot asked the control tower for permission to do a left turn and enter downwind for the runway. ATC told the pilot to do a missed approach. During the missed approach an engine failed, followed by the other engine, and the right seat pilot feathered each propeller and set up for a ditching in the bay. Safety Board investigators contacted the City of Sugar Land Municipal Airport officials who stated that they topped of the accident airplane with 0.6 gallons of AvGas on Friday May 7, 1999 at 1250 local time. Additionally, they stated they had put 51.8 gallons of AvGas i ## Aircraft - Registration: [N3303S](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N3303S-2013-06-04), registration cancelled 2013-06-04, S/N T30300018, built 1981 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna T303 - Registry model: [Cessna T303](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-t303) (registry code 2073820) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental TSIO-520 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-tsio-520-series) (registry code 17040, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 000018 - Airframe hours: 1832 - Engines: Continental TSIO-520AE2B 250 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Neville A. Lewis - Registered owner: Nova Star International - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, December 11, 1998, 106 hours before - Departed: SGR, SUGAR LAND MUNI, TX - Destination: SAN - Airport: SAN, Lindbergh Field, runway 27, 9,400 × 200 ft, concrete ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 70; airline transport, flight instructor; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: right; flight hours: 25,000 total, 200 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Night/dark - Wind: 140° at 4 knots - Visibility: 7 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 1,000 ft overcast - Temperature: 57 °F, dew point 54 °F - Altimeter: 29.00 inHg - Observed at: SAN, 5 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19990507021719A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990507021719A), May 7, 1999: Cessna T303, San Diego, CA, Substantial damage. (.19) On may 7, 1999, at 2330 hours pacific daylight time, a Cessna T303, N3303S, impacted the water in San Diego bay following a loss of power in both engines… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.