Smith AEROSTAR N601AT

Summary

On 22 July 2010 at about 16:00 local time, a Smith AEROSTAR registered N601AT, operated by Debra L. MacDonald, was involved in an accident near Cleburne, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 July 2010 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Cleburne, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Cleburne Municipal (CPT)

Coordinates

32.3539, -97.4339

Aircraft

Smith AEROSTAR

Registration

N601AT

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Debra L. MacDonald

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Ferry

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cleburne → Mena

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN10LA425

1 person had minor injuries.

A total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of the pilot’s improper fuel management. Contributing to the accident were the critical fuel placards that were difficult to see due to the airplane's paint scheme.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After takeoff, the right engine experienced a loss of power followed by the left engine losing power. The pilot maneuvered the airplane toward the nearest open field and the airplane impacted terrain during landing, resulting in a circumferential split in fuselage near the aft pressure bulkhead. The airplane was equipped with 4 fuel tanks: 2 located in each wing outboard of the engine nacelle (65-gallon capacity), 1 main fuselage tank (about 44-gallon capacity), and 1 auxiliary tank located in forward section of baggage compartment (45-gallon capacity). The airplane was capable of carrying 209.5 gallons usable fuel and the pilot stated that prior to departure he filled the main fuselage tank to capacity, added 20 gallons in the auxiliary tank and 25 gallons in each wing tank, which he equated to a total of 131 gallons on board. The fuselage contained two fuel filler necks, one for each fuselage tank (main and auxiliary). The auxiliary tank was clearly placarded with a red placard visibly standing out against a silver paint stripe; the main tank was not clearly placarded, with a red placard blending easily with red paint stripe. A salvage retriever recalled that during recovery the left wing contained 17 gallons of fuel, the right wing contained 57 gallons of fuel, the main fuselage tank contained 2.5 gallons of fuel, and the auxiliary fuselage tank contained 28 gallons of fuel. A postaccident examination of the airplane and engines revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The main fuselage tank and auxiliary fuselage tank were not breached and the fuel sumps contained check valves which prevent the back-flow of fuel from one fuel tank to another. Based on the evidence it is likely that the pilot exhausted the airplane's fuel supply in the main fuselage tank, which resulted in the loss of power to both engines.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.