- Date
- September 16, 2023, 14:50 local (21:50 UTC)
- Place
- Apple, ID
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N46WRAeronca 11AC
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Fuel starvation
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20230916016769A
- Case key
- 193090
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
Fuel starvation due to the pilot’s incorrect movement of the fuel selector valve to OFF, which resulted in a loss of engine power.
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 reported they were on a local flight and, while attempting to balance the fuel load, move the fuel selector valve from the “left” main tank position to the “right” position, the airplane subsequently lost engine power. The pilot was not able to restart the engine and performed a precautionary landing onto a road. Shortly after touchdown, the airplane veered off the road and into a ditch. The wings and engine truss sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that fuel was present in the fuel tanks and that the fuel selector valve positions available were WING TANKS (9 o’clock position), MAIN TANK (12 o’clock position), and OFF (3 o’clock position). The pilot reported that he moved the fuel selector valve from the “left” tank, which was actually the WING TANKS position, to the “right” tank, which was actually the OFF position.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N46WR
- Reported as
- Aeronca 11AC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 11AC1108
- Built
- 1946
- Engine
- Continental A-65-8F, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert Neils
- Airworthiness certificate
- Unknown
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 2023
- Departed
- WN92 · Spokane, WA
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 78
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KCOE, 12 nm away
- METAR
- KCOE 162156Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 29/02 A3000 RMK AO2 SLP158 T02940022 PNO $
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 2, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.1 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.