- Date
- July 14, 2011, 12:50 local (19:50 UTC)
- Place
- Albany, OR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N16TPBellanca 7KCAB
- Defining event
- Enroute: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 6, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administraton
- FAA report
- 20110714015119A
- Case key
- 81115
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 preflight inspection and failure to ensure the fuel cap was secured after refueling, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Findings · 4
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 pilot reported that after flying for approximately 1.7 hours, the airplane's engine started to run rough. He contacted the nearest air traffic control tower and reported the problem while trying to turn back to an airport he had just passed. After making a 180-degree turn, the airplane's engine lost power and the pilot, who was unsure he could make it back to the airport without unduly endangering people on the ground, opted to land in an empty field. The landing was uneventful; however, during the landing roll the airplane encountered a divot in the ground and nosed over. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the fuel filler cap on the right wing was missing and there were several blue stain streaks aft of the filler port to the trailing edge of the wing. The fuel filler cap was located in the run up area where the pilot had last refilled the airplane's fuel tank. Further examination of the fuel system found it to be intact with just 3 tablespoons of fuel in the fuel sump and no fuel in the main fuel lines to the fuel injector.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that after flying for approximately 1.7 hours his engine started to run rough. He contacted the nearest control tower and reported the problem while trying to turn back to an airport he had just passed moments ago. After making a 180 degree turn the airplane's engine died and the pilot, who was unsure he could make it back to the airport without unduly endangering people on the ground, opted to set the aircraft down in an empty field. The landing was uneventful however on the landing roll the aircraft encountered a divot in the ground and nosed over on its back. After the aircraft was righted the FAA inspector on scene noticed the fuel filler cap on the right wing was missing and there were several blue stain streaks aft of the filler port to the trailing edge of the wing. After further investigation by the FAA inspector the fuel filler cap was found in the run up area where the pilot had last refilled his tank. Further examination of the fuel system found it to be intact with just 3 tablespoons of fuel in the fuel sump and no fuel in the main fuel lines to the injector when the boost pump was turned on.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N16TP
- Reported as
- Bellanca 7KCAB
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 302-72
- Airframe hours
- 2,480
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320 SERIES, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gorman Shane E
- Registered owner
- Gorman Shane E
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 6, 2011 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- KSIY · Siskiyou County, CA
- Destination
- KSLE · Salem Airport, OR
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- KALB · Albany Municipal 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 8, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,275 total · 1,289 in this make and model · 44 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.94 inHg
- Observed at
- KSLE, 10 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 28, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 565 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.