Beechcraft 65 N115HF
18 January 2003 · Fitzgerald, Georgia, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 18 January 2003 at about 18:07 local time, a Beechcraft 65 registered N115HF, operated by James A. Pritchard, was involved in an accident near Fitzgerald, Georgia, United States. 4 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.
The record
- Date
- at 18:07
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Fitzgerald, Georgia, United States
- Coordinates
- 31.6836, -83.2703
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft 65
- Registration
- N115HF
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- James A. Pritchard
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Lawrenceville, → Valdosta
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ATL03LA036
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Probable cause
The pilot's mismanagement of the fuel supply that resulted in fuel starvation and the loss of engine power in both engines. A factor was a tree.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
According to the pilot, the flight was uneventful until he switched fuel tanks near Macon, Georgia. Several minutes after the fuel selectors were switched the pilot reported a loss of left engine power. The pilot declared an emergency and requested radar vectors to the nearest airport. While en route to the nearest airport, the right engine lost power. The pilot selected and open field and attempted a forced landing. During the forced landing, the nose wheel assembly collapsed, and the left wing collided with a tree. Both engines were test run after the accident and they operated without any anomalies. A total of sixty gallons of fuel was recovered from the airplane during the recovery from the accident site. The pilot did not report a mechanical problem with the airplane before the accident. The post-accident examination of the airplane failed to disclose a mechanical problem.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Beechcraft 65 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Oct 2003 | Beechcraft 65-A90 | Fentress, Texas, United States | San Martex Aviation, LLC | Minor injuries | - |
| 24 Dec 2004 | Beechcraft 65-90 | Montpellier, France | SNC Mitjavila | Fatal | 3 |
| 17 Aug 2004 | Beechcraft 65-A90 | Pensacola, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 9 Mar 2004 | Beechcraft 65 | Sedona, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 May 2005 | Beechcraft 65-A80 | Patagonia, Argentina | Transporte Aereo Don Carlos | Fatal | 10 |
| 8 Feb 2001 | Beechcraft 65-B80 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Apr 2003 | Mooney M20E | Milledgeville, Georgia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 21 Mar 2003 | Cessna 172S | Monroe, Georgia, United States | Elite Flight Center | Fatal | 2 |
| 22 Aug 2003 | Stinson 108-2 | Camilla, Georgia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 23 Mar 2003 | Cessna 172M | Savannah, Georgia, United States | Robert F. Jenkins | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Jan 2003 | Cessna 150K | Jessup, Georgia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Mar 2003 | Cessna 320D | Perry, Georgia, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |