- Date
- February 14, 1993, 15:45 local (20:45 UTC)
- Place
- Sun City, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N49308Aerotek Pitts S-1T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 10, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930214004319A
- Case key
- 33228
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-in-command's failure to verify fuel load after refueling, which resulted in loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
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 fueled the aircraft prior to departure. During refueling he had another person reading the fuel meter and he told this person to call out after 14 gallons were added. The pilot did not check fuel quantity prior to departure. The engine failed en route and a forced landing was made in an orange grove. The pilot determined the engine failure was due to fuel exhaustion, and that the person reading the fuel meter had called out 1.4 gallons not 14 gallons.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N49308
- Reported as
- Aerotek Pitts S-1T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1004
- Airframe hours
- 465
- Engine
- Lycoming AEIO-360-A1E, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ballard, William C.
- Registered owner
- Ballard, William C.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 30, 1992 · 35 hours before
- Departed
- X55 · Eustis, FL
- Destination
- SPG · St Petersburg, FL
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 55
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,190 total · 16 in this make and model · 1,017 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TPA, 20 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.