Navion A N4285K

Summary

On 3 October 1998 at about 22:15 local time, a Navion A registered N4285K, operated by Kroll, Todd, J., was involved in an accident near Jaffrey, New Hampshire, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 October 1998 at 22:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Jaffrey, New Hampshire, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Navion A

Registration

N4285K

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Kroll, Todd, J.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Manchester

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD99LA002

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate aircraft preflight and subsequent failure to refuel the aircraft resulting in fuel exhaustion. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain to execute a forced landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot conducted a preflight of the Navion A airplane confirming 20 gallons of fuel each in the left and right main tanks, but did not check the 20 gallon auxiliary tank. He then departed Mansfield, Massachusetts, flew a minimum of 69 statute miles and landed at Jaffrey, New Hampshire, subsequently departing without taking on fuel and flying for approximately two additional hours. He landed at Jaffrey again, and without shutting the airplane down, departed back to Mansfield. Shortly after departing Jaffrey and leveling off at 3,000 feet, the airplane's engine lost power. Unable to return to his departure field, and deeming his intended landing site as unsuitable, he executed a forced landing into tree tops. A post-crash examination of the airplane by an FAA inspector revealed no fuel in the airplane's fuel tanks, and no evidence of fuel leakage. The pilot stated that 'Due to the power setting I chose to run the airplane at, the length of the flight, and my negligence to visually check and only operate the airplane based on the fuel gauge readings, I believe that it was my mistake in exhausting the fuel.'

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.