Fuel exhaustion Accident Van's RV-6A N29RV,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 827
 
This record has been locked for editing.

Date:Monday 3 December 2007
Time:09:45
Type:Silhouette image of generic RV6 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Van's RV-6A
Owner/operator:Private
Registration: N29RV
MSN: 22789
Total airframe hrs:772 hours
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:Stringer, MS -   United States of America
Phase: En route
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Fort Smith, AR (FSM)
Destination airport:Mobile, AL (BFM)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities
Narrative:
The 72-hour private pilot reported that approximately 2-hours and 10-minutes into his 425-nautical mile flight, while in cruise flight at 5,500 feet MSL, his single-engine airplane experienced a complete loss of engine power. Several attempts to re-start the engine were unsuccessful and the pilot elected to execute a forced landing to a grass field. During the emergency descent, the pilot noted that the left and right fuel gauges indicated approximately one-fourth a tank of fuel per side. During the landing roll the nose landing gear sunk into the soft ground and the airplane nosed-over coming to rest in an inverted position. The pilot was able to exit the airplane unassisted. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector responded to the accident site and examined the airplane. The inspector reported that both fuel tanks were found empty and that they did not appear to be compromised. In addition, the inspector reported that he did not observe fuel stains suggesting the fuel had leaked out. The inspector further reported that the right wing had sustained structural damage. The pilot reported that he performed a pre-flight inspection of the airplane and visually verified that both fuel tanks were full prior to departure. Fueling records at the departure airport established that the airplane was last fueled two days earlier, with the addition of 30.6 gallons of fuel. The homebuilt airplane had a total fuel capacity of 38-gallons, which provides for a cross-country range of approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes. The pilot had planned for a 2 hour and 29 minute flight. The airplane was powered by a Lycoming O-360-A1D engine. According to the operator's manual for the engine, the normal fuel consumption rate for that engine is 10.5 gallons per hour at 2,450 rpm (75 percent rated power).
Probable Cause: The loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: DFW08CA042
Status: Investigation completed
Duration:
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20071212X01931&key=1

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
23-Jan-2008 04:21 JINX Added
21-Dec-2016 19:13 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency]
21-Dec-2016 19:14 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency]
21-Dec-2016 19:16 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency]
21-Dec-2016 19:20 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency]
04-Mar-2017 07:34 junior sjc Updated [Narrative]
04-Dec-2017 19:03 ASN Update Bot Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]

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