Summary
On September 04, 2016, a Champion 7GC (N4831E) was involved in an incident near Palmer, AK. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection and failure to assess the airplane’s fuel quantity before departure, which resulted in fuel exhaustion.
According to the pilot of the single engine airplane, shortly after takeoff and about 500 feet above ground level the engine lost power. He reported that he attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful. The pilot made a forced landing in a hay field; the airplane landed hard and struck a telephone pole.
The pilot reported to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aviation Safety Inspector (ASI) that he did not preflight the airplane or check the fuel level before departure, and that there should have been fuel in the tanks from the last flight in June 2016, three months prior.
This incident is documented in NTSB report GAA16CA486. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N4831E.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection and failure to assess the airplane’s fuel quantity before departure, which resulted in fuel exhaustion.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
According to the pilot of the single engine airplane, shortly after takeoff and about 500 feet above ground level the engine lost power. He reported that he attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful. The pilot made a forced landing in a hay field; the airplane landed hard and struck a telephone pole.
The pilot reported to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aviation Safety Inspector (ASI) that he did not preflight the airplane or check the fuel level before departure, and that there should have been fuel in the tanks from the last flight in June 2016, three months prior.
The pilot reported to the NTSB Investigator who received the initial notification that, "he ran the airplane out of gas." He further reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airframe or engine that would have prevented normal flight operations.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings.
The National Transportation Safety Board Investigator-in-charge attempted to contact the pilot on multiple occasions, but was informed by the FAA Inspector that the pilot was out of the country for the winter.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# GAA16CA486