Van's RV-6 N29RV

Summary

On 3 December 2007 at about 15:45 local time, a Van's RV-6 registered N29RV was involved in an accident near Stringer, Mississippi, United States. One person was 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.

Date

3 December 2007 at 15:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Stringer, Mississippi, United States

Nearest airport

Bobby L Chain Muni (HBG)

Coordinates

31.8564, -89.2392

Aircraft

Van's RV-6

Registration

N29RV

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fort Smith → Mobile

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DFW08CA042

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The 72-hour private pilot reported that approximately 2-hours and 10-minutes into his 425-nautical mile flight, while in cruise flight at 5,500 feet MSL, his single-engine airplane experienced a complete loss of engine power. Several attempts to re-start the engine were unsuccessful and the pilot elected to execute a forced landing to a grass field. During the emergency descent, the pilot noted that the left and right fuel gauges indicated approximately one-fourth a tank of fuel per side. During the landing roll the nose landing gear sunk into the soft ground and the airplane nosed-over coming to rest in an inverted position. The pilot was able to exit the airplane unassisted. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector responded to the accident site and examined the airplane. The inspector reported that both fuel tanks were found empty and that they did not appear to be compromised. In addition, the inspector reported that he did not observe fuel stains suggesting the fuel had leaked out. The inspector further reported that the right wing had sustained structural damage. The pilot reported that he performed a pre-flight inspection of the airplane and visually verified that both fuel tanks were full prior to departure. Fueling records at the departure airport established that the airplane was last fueled two days earlier, with the addition of 30.6 gallons of fuel. The homebuilt airplane had a total fuel capacity of 38-gallons, which provides for a cross-country range of approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes. The pilot had planned for a 2 hour and 29 minute flight. The airplane was powered by a Lycoming O-360-A1D engine. According to the operator's manual for the engine, the normal fuel consumption rate for that engine is 10.5 gallons per hour at 2,450 rpm (75 percent rated power).

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.