McClead VARIEZE N728RJ
29 April 1998 · Middlebury, Connecticut, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 29 April 1998 at about 13:52 local time, a McClead VARIEZE registered N728RJ was involved in an accident near Middlebury, Connecticut, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 13:52
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Middlebury, Connecticut, United States
- Nearest airport
- Waterbury Airport (N41)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- McClead VARIEZE
- Registration
- N728RJ
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Waterbury → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- IAD98LA050
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
the pilot's inadequate preflight when he did not secure the right wing fuel tank cap which led to fuel exhaustion.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot altered his preflight inspection, on the day of the accident, by putting an additive into the fuel. He stated that after doing so, he 'may not have tightened the right gas cap.' The pilot visually checked the fuel tanks, and reported 16 gallons of fuel onboard. He departed for a local flight and approximately 35 minutes later, while doing air work, the engine 'suddenly quit'. He attempted to glide back to the airport, and when he realized he would not make the runway, he performed a forced landing into a wooded area. Examination revealed the fuel tanks had maintained their integrity, with no indication of leakage. The right fuel cap was found off, hanging by its chain with no fuel in the tank and no indication of soil contamination beneath the tank. A 'trace' of fuel was found in the left tank and the center tank was empty. A Federal Aviation Administration Safety Inspector stated that no fuel was shown on either fuel gauge and no fuel was found in the fuel lines or carburetor, with about a half ounce of fuel in the fuel filter. There was no fuel smell on the ground surrounding the airplane.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Oct 1998 | Foreit SUPER CAT | Middlebury, Connecticut, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 22 Jan 1998 | Aerospatiale ATR-42-320 | Windsor Locks, Connecticut, United States | Continental Express | Minor injuries | - |
| 4 Dec 1998 | Gulfstream American AA-1 | Brooklyn, Connecticut, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 13 Sep 1998 | Piper PA-18-150 | Oxford, Connecticut, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Sep 1998 | Cessna 152 | Ellington, Connecticut, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Apr 1998 | Mooney M20J | Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States | Charles T Gunzburg | Fatal | 1 |