- Date
- March 6, 2023, 19:45 local (Mar 7, 2023, 02:45 UTC)
- Place
- Bullhead City, AZ · KIFP
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4PZRockwell International AC 690A
- Defining event
- Enroute: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20230307001679A
- Case key
- 106880
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 planning for a cross-country flight, which resulted in fuel exhaustion, a total loss of engine power and subsequent impact with terrain.
Findings · 5
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 while enroute, a low fuel level annunciation occurred. The pilot subsequently prepared to divert to a nearby airport due to low fuel. Within 2 minutes the left engine shut down, followed by the right. The pilot asked air traffic control for vectors to the nearest airport. The sky conditions were clear with no moon, no horizon and no terrain feature visible. While approaching the airport at approximately 2,000 feet above the runway, the airport runway lighting turned off. The pilot was unable to turn the lights back on and subsequently used the terminal and ramp lights to maneuver the airplane to the runway. The airplane touched down and veered off the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported to a first responder that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and that he ran out of gas.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4PZ
- Reported as
- Rockwell International AC 690A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 11269
- Built
- 1975
- Airframe hours
- 6,643
- Engines
- AlliedSignal TPE331-5-254K, 715 horsepower, turbo propAlliedSignal TPE331-5-254K, 715 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Phillip R Zeeck Inc
- Registered owner
- Phillip R Zeeck Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 24, 2023 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- KPVW · Plainview, TX
- Destination
- KHDN · Henderson, NV
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- KIFP · Laughlin/Bullhead Intl, runway 16, 8,500 × 150 ft, gravel
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Handheld GPS, Onboard weather, Satellite tracking device
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
- 86
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 18, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 11,095 total · 3,720 in this make and model · 15 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 150° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
- Observed at
- KIFP
- METAR
- METAR KIFP 060250Z AUTO 15014KT 10SM CLR 16/M01 A2992 RMK AO2
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 23, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.8 MB 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.