- Date
- June 27, 1999, 17:15 local (21:15 UTC)
- Place
- Pinehurst, NC
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N1455LBeech A23
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990627007639A
- Case key
- 46643
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 flight crew's improper fuel management resulting in engine loss of power due to fuel starvation and damage to the airplane due to collision with trees in the subsequent forced landing.
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 CFI and private-rated student were conducting their fifth touch and go landing approach and as power was being applied to correct a low-on-final condition, there was no engine response. The CFI took control and attempted a forced landing to a vacant field that ended up in the trees. Post crash examination of the wreckage revealed the fuel tank selected was empty.
Factual narrative
On June 27, 1999, about 1715 eastern daylight time, a Beech Sundowner A-23, N1455L, registered to a private individual, operating as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight, crashed on approach to Moore County Airport, Southern Pines, North Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft sustained substantial damage and the commercial-rated flight instructor (CFI) and private pilot were not injured. The flight originated from Carthage, North Carolina, about 1 hour before the accident.
According to the CFI/airplane owner, he was giving dual instruction to the buyer of his airplane. They had made two normal approaches and landings, and they were on their third simulated engine failure approach to Moore County Airport's runway 05 when the accident happened. This particular approach had ended up being low an final, and as power was being applied to reach the runway, the engine failed to respond, and the pilot flying/ buyer relinquished airplane control to the CFI. The CFI decided their only option was an emergency landing to a field south of the runway, and the airplane collided with small trees, shedding the outer wing panels. Although the CFI/airplane owner called the event an "engine failure" in his written statement, he admits he ran the right tank dry in subsequent follow-up phone conversation, and stated that a more accurate statement would have been, "engine stoppage due to fuel starvation."
According to the FAA inspector, the CFI stated the fuel selector was on the right wing tank when the engine failed to respond. Neither pilot could remember using the checklist to confirm that the fuel selector was on the fullest tank before commencing the landing approach. Postcrash examination of the fuel system revealed that the right tank was empty and the left tank was about 1/2 full.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1455L
- Reported as
- Beech A23
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- M-841`
- Airframe hours
- 1,845
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-346-A, 165 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Samuel R. Evett
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 10, 1999 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- Carthage, NC
- Destination
- SOP · Pinehurst, NC
- Airport
- SOP · Southern Pines, runway 5, 5,503 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- Certificates
- Commercial, 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
- 1,565 total · 194 in this make and model · 1,378 as pilot in command · 38 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,700 ft broken
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SOP, 1 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.
Other investigations on N1455L · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.