Cessna 305A N6735Q

Summary

On 30 November 2011 at about 17:15 local time, a Cessna 305A registered N6735Q was involved in an accident near Fredericksburg, Texas, 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

30 November 2011 at 17:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Fredericksburg, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Gillespie County Airport (T82)

Coordinates

30.2431, -98.9092

Aircraft

Cessna 305A

Registration

N6735Q

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

New Braunfels → Fredericksburg

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN12LA094

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in a subsequent loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While on approach to the runway, the pilot added power to the engine to adjust the approach path, and the engine did not respond. The pilot was unable to restart the engine, and he performed a forced landing to a nearby field. During the landing, the airplane struck a wire and then the ground. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that caps were present on the fuel tank vent lines, creating a vacuum and preventing fuel flow to the engine. The pilot said that he had placed the caps on the fuel vent lines to keep insects out of the lines and the fuel tanks and forgot to remove them during his preflight inspection. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunction or failure of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.