- Date
- July 24, 1995, 17:08 local (21:08 UTC)
- Place
- Damascus, MD
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N20BXSocata TB-10
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 27, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950724026389A
- Case key
- 39015
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's inadequate inflight planning and fuel mismanagement, which resulted in 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
At 2500 feet msl, the pilot advised air traffic control, that he had a loss of engine power. He indicated that he was 'running out of fuel.' During the forced landing, the aircraft struck trees short of a field where the pilot was attempting to land. The examination of the wreckage revealed the fuel tanks were empty. The last known refueling of the airplane was on July 20, 1995. At that time 31.9 gallons of fuel were added to the tanks. Between the last refueling and the accident, the airplane flew 5 hours and 36 minutes. This model airplane has a total fuel capacity of 51 gallons, and a range of 5 hours 5 minutes at a 72% power setting. At the same power setting at 2000 feet the fuel consumption rate is 10.6 gallons per hour.
Factual narrative
On July 24, 1995, about 1708 eastern daylight time, a Socata, TB- 10, N20BX, collided with trees during a forced landing near Damascus, Maryland (MD). The airplane was destroyed. The pilot and two passengers were not injured. A third passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The personal flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
En route from Ocean City, Maryland, to Frederick, Maryland, and while the pilot was receiving traffic advisories from Baltimore Approach, the airplane's engine lost power. The pilot elected to land in a wooded area and struck trees.
According to the pilot's statement on the NTSB Form 6120.1/2:
...at 2500 feet MSL I noticed the engine sputter and quit. I immediately applied carburetor heat and turned on the electric fuel pump and noticed that I was running on the fullest tank...(according to the fuel quantity gauge was over 3/8 full). I switched to the right tank and noted it was just over 1/4 full. A few seconds later the engine came to life...I was considering my options the first of which was to land at nearest airport...the engine quit again and I switched back to the left (fullest) tank...the engine sputtered a couple of times...ATC vectored me to Gaithersburg, MD...8 miles away at 240 degrees...[I] indicated to them I didn't have the altitude to make it and they informed me of another field 2 miles closer. I replied I didn't have the altitude and was picking out a field to land in...while on very short final I believe I noticed the plane roll to one side...just then I noticed trees in our path...and then only remember penetrating the trees and ended up inverted....
According to the ATC Transcript of Communications, at 1705:11, while in radio contact with Baltimore Approach Control, the pilot of N20BX said, "...I believe I'm having an emergency up here, I believe I'm running out of fuel."
The FAA examined the wreckage at the accident site, and they found no fuel in the airplane's fuel tanks. The last known refueling of the airplane was on July 20, 1995. At that time 31.9 gallons of fuel was added to the tanks. Between the last refueling and the accident, the airplane flew approximately 5 hours 36 minutes (5.6 hours).
According to information supplied by Socata Aircraft and Lycoming Engines, this model airplane has a total fuel capacity of 51 gallons with a range of 5 hours 5 minutes, at a 72 percent power setting and 2600 RPM. At 2000 feet, a 72% power setting, and 2600 RPM, the fuel burn rate is 10.6 gallons per hour.
The Dulles weather at 1650 was; 4,500 broken, 10,000 overcast, visibility 6 miles, rain showers and haze, temperature 78 degrees F, dew point 73 degrees F, wind 240 degrees, 8 knots, altimeter 29.89 inches Hg.
The pilot had 131.1 total hours, of which 23.3 hours were in this make and model aircraft.
Additional Information
At 72% power, 2600 RPM and a fuel burn rate of 10.6 gallons p/hr, 59.36 gallons of fuel would have been required, for a 5.6 hour flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N20BX
- Reported as
- Socata TB-10
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 496
- Airframe hours
- 2,429
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1AD, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Fly Boys Inc
- Registered owner
- Mt. Planes
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 2, 1995 · 72 hours before
- Departed
- N80 · Ocean City, MD
- Destination
- FDK · Frederick, MD
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 131 total · 23 in this make and model · 67 as pilot in command · 21 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- IAD, 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.