- Date
- August 14, 2012, 14:35 local (21:35 UTC)
- Place
- Ramona, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N615SXBoughner R 80 Tiger Moth
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern base: Fuel starvation
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 26, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 84673
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 improper fuel management, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
Findings · 2
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 prior to the cross-country flight, which would require approximately six gallons of fuel to complete, he had seven gallons of fuel in the main fuel tank and five gallons in the auxiliary tank. The cross-country flight was uneventful; about 0.5 mile away from the airport, on the base leg, the airplane’s engine stopped developing power. The pilot reported he was unable to open the auxiliary tank valve in a timely manner before the airplane impacted terrain approximately 100 yards east of the runway. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that prior to the cross country flight, which would require approximately 6 gallons of fuel to complete; he had 7 gallons of fuel in the main fuel tank and 5 gallons in the auxiliary tank. The cross country flight was uneventful; about 0.5-miles away from the airport, on the base leg, the airplane’s engine stopped developing power. The pilot reported he was unable to open the auxiliary tank valve in a timely manner before the airplane impacted terrain approximately 100 yards east of the runway. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N615SX
- Reported as
- Boughner R 80 Tiger Moth
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 14
- Airframe hours
- 494
- Engine
- Jabiru 3300A, 120 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Boughner Gerald O
- Registered owner
- Boughner Gerald O
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · December 23, 2011 · 31 hours before
- Departed
- SDM · San Diego, CA
- Destination
- RNM · Ramona, CA
- Airport
- RNM · Ramona Airport, runway 27, 5,001 × 150 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
- 77
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 7, 2012
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 4,777 total · 494 in this make and model · 4,742 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 97 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.82 inHg
- Observed at
- RNM
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 20, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 593 KB in all.