Cotter STITS PLAYMATE N816

Summary

On 21 February 2010 at about 16:17 local time, a Cotter STITS PLAYMATE registered N816, operated by Seay Phillip L, was involved in an accident near Williston, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 February 2010 at 16:17

Classification

Accident

Location

Williston, Florida, United States

Coordinates

29.3556, -82.4717

Aircraft

Cotter STITS PLAYMATE

Registration

N816

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Seay Phillip L

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Williston → Williston

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA10LA151

1 person was seriously injured.

A loss of engine power during approach due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's fuel mismanagement.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he was at 2,000 feet mean sea level and planned on making a base leg entry for landing. He applied carburetor heat and reduced power. The engine lost power and the propeller started to windmill. He attempted a restart; however, the engine started momentarily and lost power again 2 to 3 seconds later. The airplane continued to descend and he turned to line up with the runway, when he observed a telephone pole. He immediately slipped the airplane to the right to avoid the pole, and the airplane collided with the ground and came to rest inverted. Examination of the crash site revealed the landing gear collided with a wire in between two telephone poles. Examination of the airframe revealed no anomalies. Examination of the fuel system revealed the fuel selector valve in the on position. The fuel tank was not ruptured and no fuel was present in the fuel tank. The fuel tank cap had a tight seal and no fuel staining was present on the airframe. No browning of any vegetation was present at the crash site. First responders reported no leakage of fuel or smell of fuel at the crash site. The fuel lines and gascolator contained 2 to 3 ounces of fuel. The carburetor was separated and no fuel was present. The fuel tank was removed and 3 gallons of water was placed in the fuel tank. No leaks were observed. The pilot stated that he had 17 gallons of fuel on board at takeoff. The engine assembly was totally disassembled and no anomalies were noted that would have prevented the engine from operating. The pilot reported on the NTSB accident report that he had 8 total flight hours in the accident airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.