After discharging three parachutists into a drop zone from about 12,000 feet mean sea level, the pilot attempted to return to the departure airport. The engine began surging as the airplane descended through 8,000 feet. The pilot continued the descent and entered the departure airport’s traffic pattern. He misjudged his distance from the runway, and when all engine power was lost turning onto the final approach leg he was unable to glide to the runway.
Category: Fuel Exhaustion
The pilot stated that he was at 12,500 feet, preparing for a four-mile parachute jump run, when he had initial indications of a power/fuel problem. He said he told the skydivers to exit, then initiated a descending spiral to land, during which time the fuel flow became erratic. He said both engines ceased operating at 3,000 feet, and he did not account for the northwest wind, and crashed short of the runway.
The airplane departed on a parachuting flight with 5 parachutists on board. Several witnesses reported hearing the airplane during climb out. Each witness described smooth engine noise, brief ‘sputtering,’ and then a total loss of engine power. The airplane descended straight ahead at the same pitch attitude, then the nose dropped, a parachutist exited, and the airplane entered a spiraling descent.
The pilot stated that he had refueled the airplane with approximately 3.5 inches of fuel, which equates to 15.5 gallons. According to the Pilot Operator Handbook at 6,500 feet the fuel burn is approximately 13.9 gallons an hour. The pilot flew the airplane for 1.5 hours before the accident. The engine began to run roughly after dropping skydivers and returning to base.
The pilot descended to land after a paradrop. Entering downwind, he cleared the engine, moved the mixture control to full rich, and applied carburetor heat. Being above traffic pattern altitude he extended his downwind. Upon reaching his base leg, he attempted to add power but the engine failed to respond.
The pilot departed on a 15-minute positioning flight. About 4 miles from the destination, both engines lost power, and the pilot landed in an open field, where the airplane struck trees. The pilot reported he departed with about 800 pounds of fuel on board, and thought the gauges indicated about 300 pounds remaining when the power loss occurred.
The pilot stated that he departed for a parachute jump flight with about 25 gallons of fuel aboard the airplane. He said the flight lasted for 30 minutes. When the airplane was on the final approach to the runway, a loss of engine power occurred. The pilot made a forced landing in a corp field adjacent to the airport,
The pilot had made a refueling stop at Vandalia, Illinois. She did not observe the refueling process, but the FBO also operated a King Air and she felt he knew the proper procedure to follow. The airplane was reportedly serviced with 235 gallons of Jet-A fuel (total capacity is 384 gallons). The pilot flew between 7,500 and 10,500 feet.
After a normal parachute drop at 13,000 feet, the pilot initiated a descent. As the airplane descended to 2300 feet, both engines lost power. Unable to restart either engine, the pilot initiated an emergency landing to runway 9 at the departure airport. However, before reaching the runway, the airplane collided with vegetation and the airport perimeter fence. An examination of the airplane failed to disclose a mechanical problem. No usable fuel was found in the fuel system during the postaccident examination.
The airplane was descending for a landing when the engine suffered a total loss of power. The pilot stated that he had no memory of the accident. Although personnel who moved the airplane claimed that 15 or 16 gallons of fuel were removed from the accident airplane at the accident scene, only about six gallons could be located.
On final approach to runway 14, a total loss of engine power occurred. Due to construction equipment, transmission lines, and vehicle traffic on a highway, the pilot made a decision to land in a field. During the landing in rough and uneven terrain, the nose gear, left main gear, and left wing were damaged. The pilot reported 15 gallons of fuel at the initial preflight.
The aircraft departed fully topped with 65 gallons of fuel on three 45 nautical mile minimum legs plus a total of five parachute drops involving ascents between 7,500 and 9,500 feet above ground level. During the descent from the fifth parachute drop the engine stopped developing power and the pilot in command executed a forced landing in a field. During the landing roll the aircraft collided with a barb wire fence and impacted a drainage ditch.
Shortly after takeoff, both engines lost power. The pilot said he selected different fuel tanks, but could not restart the engines. He subsequently made a wheels-up forced landing in a field below his flight path. The pilot stated that he had performed a preflight inspection and that there was 4.1 gals in both the front left and right main fuel tanks. Examination of the airplane after the accident revealed a combined total of about 5 gals in the forward left and right tanks.
Engine quit on final approach while returning from dropping parachutists. A forced landing was made in a field and the aircraft collided with a ditch on rollout. Post crash examination of the aircraft by faa inspectors indicated the left fuel tank contained one pint of fuel and the right fuel tank contained 1 gallon of fuel. Aircraft information indicated 1.5 gallons of fuel is unusable in each tank. The engine operated normally after the accident and there was no pre or post crash fuel leakage from the aircraft.
The airplane had departed the airport on a local area flight in order to drop two skydivers. After the departure of the parachutists a total loss of power was experienced during approach. The airplane collided with 60 foot high pine trees one half mile from the approach end of the runway. Subsequent investigation revealed that the left tank was empty; the right tank contained approximately 11 gallons, and the fuel selector handle was missing.
Before departing on the initial parachute jumping flight the pilot dipped sticked both tanks and determined that they contained 23 gallons of fuel. The pilot inaccurately calculated that there would be enough fuel to conduct the initial and second flight before fueling would be required. After the parachute jumper departed the airplane on the second flight and during the normal descent to the airport the airplane sustained a total loss of power. The pilot elected to land in a grape vineyard because the airplane’s altitude was insufficient to negotiate the airport. The airplane struck a unmarked transmission wire and crashed during the emergency landing. The airplane contained about 8 gallons of fuel, the unusable amount for all attitudes.
As the acft was climbing thru 9,000 ft for 13,000 ft with skydivers aboard, the eng lost power from fuel exhaustion. The skydivers bailed out over the drop zone, then the plt attempted to return to the arpt from about 7000 ft. An emergency landing was made before reaching the rwy. The plt saw a fence ahead & applied heavy braking to avoid hitting the fence. However, the acft encountered a ditch as the plt was applying brakes & the acft nosed over.
The plt reported that he preflighted the acft & decided there was sufficient fuel to haul skydivers on 2 more flts. On the 2nd flt, he had to make three passes instead of one. During the apch to the arpt, the eng lost power from fuel exhaustion. The plt tried to reach the rwy, but landed short on plowed terrain. The wheels dug into the plowed terrain, the nose gear collapsed & the acft nosed over. The plt had planned a fuel consumption rate of 12.1 gal/hr. However, the actual fuel consumption (after installation of a new eng) was 12.8 gal/hr.
The plt stated, he had departed the aero county airport, mckinney, tx, on a local flt to drop sky divers. He dropped the sky divers & was returning to the arpt when he encountered a loss of eng power & made a forced landing. He stated that he pulled on carburetor heat and was making his first power change when the eng stopped without warning.
The pilot reported that he had 20 gal of fuel on board when he took off. He climbed to 10,000 ft for a parachute jump, then returned to the airport with an estimated 10 gal of fuel. During a downwind landing, he elected to go around. He said the engine lost power as he was climbing through about 75 ft agl. A forced landing was made in a small pasture. Initially, the mishap was reported as an incident. Before the aircraft was examined, wings had been removed and the aircraft and wings had been transported from the accident site. When examined, both wing tanks were empty, except a small amount of 100 low lead (blue) fuel was found in the right wing tank. Fluid taken from the lines to the left wing tanks had the appearance of automotive fuel. The owner reported that automotive fuel had previously been used. No fuel was found in the carburetor.
The pilot had flown from eutaw to seale, al to participate in a parachute activity. Although the plane was equipped for parachuting, it was not used for that purpose on that trip. Before returning to eutaw, the pilot used a dipstick to check the fuel and estimated he had a sufficient amount remaining for the 1.1 hr return flight. He did not check the weather or refuel the aircraft. En route, he encountered clouds, darkness, and heavy rain showers. While deviating from his planned course, he lost track of his position and the fuel supply became low. He diverted to tuscaloosa, al, but ran out of fuel during his approach. The plane struck trees about 1/2 mile from the runway during a forced landing. No seat or seat belt was available for the passenger; however, the passenger received only minor injuries.
After completing the drop on a skydiving flight, the engine lost power during a power-off descent. The pilot reported that the carburetor heat was not used during the descent prior to the loss of power. However, the probability of weather conditions for carburetor ice was not verified. The aircraft struck a fence during an off-airport landing, before reaching the runway. The pilot reported that he took off with 10 gallons of fuel on board. The plane crashed about 15 minutes after takeoff. An examination of the engine revealed no malfunction or failure prior to the accident.