Welch RV-9 N475TW
14 October 2007 · Bigfork, Montana, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 14 October 2007 at about 20:30 local time, a Welch RV-9 registered N475TW, operated by Bruce W. Piasecki, was involved in an accident near Bigfork, Montana, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 20:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Bigfork, Montana, United States
- Nearest airport
- Ferndale (53U)
- Coordinates
- 48.0806, -114.0017
- Aircraft
- Welch RV-9
- Registration
- N475TW
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Bruce W. Piasecki
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Bigfork → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- SEA08CA010
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
Fuel starvation while on downwind for landing. The pilot's inadequate in-flight fuel management planning was a factor.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that at the completion of a third flight for the day, he was returning to the airport for landing. The flight entered downwind when the engine sputtered, ran smoothly, then lost power. The pilot switched the fuel selector from the right tank to the left tank and attempted to restart the engine. The engine would not start and the pilot initially thought that he could make the end of the runway, however the aircraft lost altitude and the landing gear hit the edge of the road short of the runway and the aircraft slid through a barb wire fence and onto the runway. Both wings and the tail section were substantially damaged. After the accident, the pilot stated that he found the right fuel tank "extremely low" and the left fuel tank about a third full. The pilot continued to state that after changing to the left fuel tank, he believed that the fuel pump did not fill the header tank fast enough for an engine restart.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jun 2007 | Cessna 210F | Denton, Montana, United States | William Booty | No injuries | - |
| 13 Sep 2007 | Cessna 172L | Helena, Montana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Jun 2007 | Aviat HUSKY A1-B | Winston, Montana, United States | Jon C Kantorowicz | Serious injuries | - |
| 5 Mar 2007 | Bell 206 B3 | Custer, Montana, United States | Dan S. Scott | No injuries | - |
| 28 Apr 2007 | Britten-Norman BN-2A-20 | Hamilton, Montana, United States | McCall Aviation | Minor injuries | - |
| 16 Jul 2007 | Bell UH-1H | Benchmark, Montana, United States | United States Forest Service | Minor injuries | - |