- Date
- August 30, 2011, 21:45 local (Aug 31, 2011, 04:45 UTC)
- Place
- Bremerton, WA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N338FCessna TU206F
- Defining event
- Enroute-descent: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report November 3, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20110830019529A
- Case key
- 81662
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 total loss of engine power as a result of fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning.
Findings · 3
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 stated that he began the cross-country flight with 4 hours of fuel onboard for the estimated 3-hour flight. While over an airport along the route of flight, he found that the headwind was much stronger than forecast. He calculated that he had 1 hour of fuel remaining and that the remaining flight time to his destination was 30 minutes. As he approached his destination, he was receiving vectors from an air traffic controller when the airplane’s engine sputtered and stopped producing power. The pilot successfully restarted the engine. However, it soon stopped producing power again and would not restart. In the dark night, he performed a forced landing to a small opening in the trees. The first rescue personnel on scene reported that they did not detect the smell of aviation fuel and the pilot reported to rescuers that “he believed he had run out of fuel and that the engine just quit on him.” The airplane’s fuselage was bent upwards immediately behind the cabin area, and both wings were bent and wrinkled.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that he began the cross-country flight with 4 hours of fuel onboard with an estimated 3 hours en route. During the flight, while over an airport along the route of flight, he found that the headwinds were much stronger than forecast. He calculated that he had 1 hour of fuel remaining, and that the remaining flight time to his destination was 30 minutes. As he approached his destination, he was receiving vectors from an air traffic controller when the airplane’s engine sputtered and stopped producing power. The pilot successfully restarted the engine. However, soon thereafter, it stopped producing power again, and this time it would not restart. In dark night light conditions, he performed a forced landing to a small opening in the trees. The first rescue personnel on scene reported that they did not “smell an obvious odor of aviation fuel.” Additionally, the pilot reported to rescuers that “he believed he had run out of fuel and that the engine just quit on him.” The airplane’s fuselage was bent upwards immediately behind the cabin area, and both wings were bent and wrinkled.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N338F
- Reported as
- Cessna TU206F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- U20602331
- Airframe hours
- 2,054
- Engine
- Cont Motor TSIO-520 SER, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ellis Charles T Trustee
- Registered owner
- Ellis Charles T Trustee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 13, 2011
- Departed
- HLN · Helena, MT
- Destination
- BFI · Seattle, WA
- 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
- 60
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 16, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 352 total · 294 in this make and model · 19 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 200° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- PWT, 4 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 3, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 680 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.