- Date
- August 10, 1997, 11:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Westerly, RI
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N7156XSimpson Avid Flyer
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1999
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970810046959A
- Case key
- 39417
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
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Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate fuel consumption calculations, 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
The pilot departed on a cross country flight in a homebuilt airplane and executed three full stop landings at different airports. The airplane was not equipped with fuel gauges. The pilot estimated the airplane's fuel endurance at 2.5 hours. After 1.8 hours of flight, the engine lost power and the pilot performed a forced landing to a road. The pilot reported that he did not account for the additional landings and mismanaged his fuel supply.
Factual narrative
On August 10, 1997, about 1130 eastern daylight time, a homebuilt Avid Flyer, N7156X, was substantially damaged during a forced landing to a road near Westerly, Rhode Island. The certificated private pilot and passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that departed the Groton New London Airport, (GON) Groton Connecticut, destined for Westerly State Airport (WST), Westerly, Rhode Island. No flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
During a telephone interview, the pilot stated that the airplane was built over a period of 2 1/2 years, and that the airplane was not equipped with fuel gages. The fuel tanks were constructed of fiberglass and contained a 5 gallon mark inside the tanks. According to the pilot/owner, the engine burned approximately 3.5 gallons of fuel per hour in cruise flight at 80 miles per hour. Prior to the first departure from WST, the pilot determined he had 8 gallons of fuel, and approximated 2.5 hours of fuel endurance.
The pilot stated he performed 3 full stop landings at different airports while en route to WST. While on final approach at WST, the pilot advanced the throttle to the forward position, and the engine lost power. The pilot determined he would not make the runway, retracted the flaps, and maneuvered the airplane through trees for landing on a road. The right main landing gear separated at ground contact and the airplane came to rest approximately 80 feet past the point of touchdown.
Examination by an FAA Inspector revealed that the fuel system was intact and that there was no evidence of fuel or fuel spillage at the scene.
The pilot reported to the Inspector that the flight was 1.8 hours in duration. He said he did not account for the additional landings, mismanaged his fuel, and exhausted his fuel supply.
The pilot reported 294 hours of flight experience and did not report any mechanical malfunctions with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7156X
- Reported as
- Simpson Avid Flyer
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 588
- Airframe hours
- 81
- Engine
- Rotax 582, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Maurice J Tate
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 1, 1997 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- GON · Groton, CT
- Destination
- WST · RI
- Airport
- WST · Westerly St. Airport, runway 25, 4,010 × 100 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
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 294 total · 81 in this make and model · 241 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GON, 10 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.