Hillyer XL-RG VELOCITY C-FPDL

Summary

On 30 January 2002 at about 21:40 local time, a Hillyer XL-RG VELOCITY registered C-FPDL was involved in an accident near San Diego, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 January 2002 at 21:40

Classification

Accident

Location

San Diego, California, United States

Nearest airport

MCAS Miramar/Mitscher Field (NKX)

Coordinates

32.9292, -117.0092

Aircraft

Hillyer XL-RG VELOCITY

Registration

C-FPDL

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Diego → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX02LA072

2 people died.

The pilot's improper in-flight planning and decision making, which resulted in exhaustion of the airplane's fuel supply and 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 of the amateur built, experimental airplane, contacted the military tower and said: "... tower this is Canadian papa delta lima with an emergency we've uh run out of fuel." The tower controller gave the pilot the altimeter setting and surface wind and clearance to land on the runway nearest the pilot's position. There was a subsequent conversation between the tower and the pilot a few seconds later regarding the arresting gear in place on the runway during which the pilot said: "we're just hoping we make the runway." The tower controller approved landing on the taxiway. The airplane subsequently impacted an embankment about 200 feet short of the runway threshold in an open, grassy area. An FAA inspector responded to the scene and reported finding only a small amount of fuel (less than 1 quart) in the aircraft. The fuel tanks were not breached. The builder of the airplane said it was equipped with a fuel totalizer system that used capacitance type fuel quantity sensors and had been carefully calibrated and was quite accurate. Prior to the accident flight, the builder said that he observed the pilot use a plain, uncalibrated stick of wood to measure the fuel quantity during his preflight inspection of the aircraft. No fuel was added. He thought it odd that the pilot used the same, moistened, end of the same stick to measure the quantity in the second tank. The pilot commented they wouldn't be out very long, maybe 1 hour.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.