Maule M-5 N5638D

Summary

On 2 October 2000 at about 17:10 local time, a Maule M-5 registered N5638D was involved in an accident near Leicester, Massachusetts, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 October 2000 at 17:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Leicester, Massachusetts, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Maule M-5

Registration

N5638D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Norwood → Northhampton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC01LA002

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to properly manage the fuel onboard the airplane, which resulted in fuel starvation, and a total loss of engine power. A factor in the accident was the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed while maneuvering for a field.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While in a descent, the pilot experienced a total loss of engine power. He declared an emergency, and attempted an engine restart. He tried several different engine control configurations, but could not regain engine power. He did not reposition the fuel selector. While maneuvering at a slow airspeed for an open field, the airplane entered a spin. The pilot was partially able to recover from the spin before impact. Examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel selector was set to an empty fuel tank. In addition, the fuel line from the engine driven fuel pump to the carburetor did not contain any fuel, nor did the fuel feed line to the engine driven fuel pump.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.