- Date
- April 19, 2010, 09:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- Eleele, HI
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N98EVEvolution Trikes Revo
- Defining event
- Approach: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 22, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 75927
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
A loss of engine power as a result of fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's improper decision to continue the flight after the low fuel warning. Contributing to the accident was the typographical error in the flight manual concerning the unusable fuel quantity.
Findings · 6
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The sport instructor pilot reported that during a student pilot’s first dual instructional flight, the engine lost power while on a 1.5 mile final to land. The instructor made a forced landing on a dirt road during which the trike nosed over. Post accident examination of the trike revealed 1.2 gallons of fuel remained in the tank, which is at or below the empty markings of the fuel tank. The manufacturer reported that the unusable fuel level is 1.4 gallons. The aircraft was equipped with a fuel monitoring system that activates once the fuel level drops below 2.7 gallons. The pilot told witnesses that he had observed the low fuel warning on the instrument panel. The aircraft flight manual had a typographical error, which stated the unusable fuel was 0.4 gallons. As a result of this accident investigation the manufacturer corrected the error and reissued the corrected page to the aircraft flight manual.
Factual narrative
The sport pilot instructor reported that during the student pilot’s first dual instructional flight the engine quit while on a 1.5 mile final to land. The instructor made a forced landing on a dirt road during which the trike nosed over. Post accident examination of the trike revealed 1.2 gallons of fuel remained in the tank, which is at or below the empty markings of the fuel tank. The manufacturer reported that the unusable fuel level is 1.4 gallons. The aircraft was equipped with a fuel monitoring system that activates once the fuel level drops below 2.7 gallons. The pilot told witnesses that he had observed the low fuel warning on the instrument panel. The aircraft flight manual had a typographical error, which stated the unusable fuel was 0.4 gallons. As a result of this accident investigation the manufacturer corrected the error and reissued the corrected page to the aircraft flight manual.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N98EV
- Reported as
- Evolution Trikes Revo
- Category
- Weight-shift
- Serial number
- 000551
- Airframe hours
- 24
- Engine
- Rotax 912 ULS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Birds in Paradise LLC
- Registered owner
- Birds in Paradise LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · April 16, 2010 · 8 hours before
- Departed
- PAK · Eleele, HI
- Destination
- PAK · Eleele, HI
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- PAK · Port Allen Airport
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
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 50
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Flight instructor
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Last flight review
- January 12, 2009
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 17,013 total · 3 in this make and model · 57 in the last 90 days · 28 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,300 ft broken
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.14 inHg
- Observed at
- PHLI, 16 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 8, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 955 KB in all.
Other investigations on N98EV · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.