Hackney GLASAIR TD N229DH

Summary

On 24 March 2007 at about 22:05 local time, a Hackney GLASAIR TD registered N229DH was involved in an accident near Arvin, California, 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

24 March 2007 at 22:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Arvin, California, United States

Nearest airport

Off Airport

Coordinates

35.2153, -118.7894

Aircraft

Hackney GLASAIR TD

Registration

N229DH

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Holbrook → Shafter

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA07LA082

1 person was seriously injured.

Loss of engine power resulting from fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's failure to refuel the aircraft en route. A contributing factor to this accident was rough/uneven terrain at the forced landing site.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was approximately 30 miles away from his destination airport on a cross country flight when the airplane's engine lost power. The pilot selected what appeared to him to be a dirt runway as a forced landing site. As he descended, he realized that the "runway" was actually a raised dirt road. Due to low altitude and airspeed, the pilot continued his approach. The airplane touched down on the road, but upon roll out veered off the left side and down a small embankment. The airplane rolled into a field and nosed over, coming to rest inverted. During interviews and in a written report, the pilot stated his opinion that the loss of engine power was due to fuel exhaustion, which he attributed to a propeller change. The pilot noted that with the new propeller, the engine ran at higher revolutions per minute (RPM), which in turn resulted in "higher [fuel] burn." The pilot reported that he didn't account for the higher fuel flow when he calculated his airplane's fuel consumption. During examination of the accident site, a Sheriff's Department deputy reported that he "did not see or smell any fuel leakage in or around the aircraft." The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.