Gulfstream American AA-5B N4524Y

Summary

On 27 February 1999 at about 13:00 local time, a Gulfstream American AA-5B registered N4524Y was involved in an accident near Sanford, Maine, United States. 2 people were 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

27 February 1999 at 13:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Sanford, Maine, United States

Nearest airport

Sanford Airport (SFM)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Gulfstream American AA-5B

Registration

N4524Y

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hillsboro → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD99LA031

Nobody was injured.

The pilot mismanaged his fuel supply which led to fuel starvation and subsequent loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was on a local flight to demonstrate the airplane to someone interested in purchasing the same make and model. While on final approach, the airplane lost power and came to rest suspended in a tree during the subsequent forced landing. The Fire Chief responded to the scene. He said, 'The nose was straight down in the trees. The fuel was dripping from the right wing, whether it was running from the left side and dripping from the right, I can't tell you.' Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airworthiness Inspector revealed the left fuel tank was compromised during the accident sequence. The right fuel tank was intact and contained no fuel. The airplane's engine started and ran on the airframe utilizing the airplane's own fuel system. The pilot said that a review of his records revealed the airplane had flown approximately 2-2.5 hours since the last fuel service. The pilot estimated his fuel burn rate averaged 10 gallons per hour. The airplane had a fuel capacity of 26 gallons per wing tank for a total of 52 gallons.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.