- Date
- March 14, 1990, 00:25 local (05:25 UTC)
- Place
- Philadelphia, PA
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N6513ZBeech C-23
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900314004269A
- Case key
- 36619
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 failure of the pilot to ensure sufficient fuel was on board for the intended flight, resulting in a power loss due to fuel exhaustion. Factors related to the accident were unsuitable terrain, and the failure of the pilot to divert in a timely manner.
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 departed at night with approximately 2 hours of fuel on board. He picked up a clearance enroute, made a missed approach due to weather, and after being airborne for 1 hr, 46 min, declared a fuel emergency. He was vectored to the ILS at a VFR airport, however he experienced a power loss due to fuel exhaustion approximately 20 minutes later and made an off airport landing in a wooded area, approximately 4 miles from the airport. Post crash examination of the airplane showed the fuel tanks empty and no evidence of fuel on the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6513Z
- Reported as
- Beech C-23
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- M-2377
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4K, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ronson Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 18N · York, PA
- Destination
- TTN · Trenton, NJ
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 27
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 550 total · 104 in this make and model · 462 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days · 11 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.