Bellanca 7KCAB N16TP

Summary

On 14 July 2011 at about 19:50 local time, a Bellanca 7KCAB registered N16TP, operated by Gorman Shane E, was involved in an accident near Albany, Oregon, 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

14 July 2011 at 19:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Albany, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Albany Municipal Airport (KALB)

Coordinates

44.6700, -123.0364

Aircraft

Bellanca 7KCAB

Registration

N16TP

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Gorman Shane E

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Siskiyou County → Salem Airport

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11CA329

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection and failure to ensure the fuel cap was secured after refueling, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that after flying for approximately 1.7 hours, the airplane's engine started to run rough. He contacted the nearest air traffic control tower and reported the problem while trying to turn back to an airport he had just passed. After making a 180-degree turn, the airplane's engine lost power and the pilot, who was unsure he could make it back to the airport without unduly endangering people on the ground, opted to land in an empty field. The landing was uneventful; however, during the landing roll the airplane encountered a divot in the ground and nosed over. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the fuel filler cap on the right wing was missing and there were several blue stain streaks aft of the filler port to the trailing edge of the wing. The fuel filler cap was located in the run up area where the pilot had last refilled the airplane's fuel tank. Further examination of the fuel system found it to be intact with just 3 tablespoons of fuel in the fuel sump and no fuel in the main fuel lines to the fuel injector.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.