Aeronca 65 CA N33879

Summary

On 30 September 2013 at about 17:00 local time, a Aeronca 65 CA registered N33879 was involved in an accident near Thomaston, Georgia, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

30 September 2013 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Thomaston, Georgia, United States

Coordinates

32.9583, -84.2736

Aircraft

Aeronca 65 CA

Registration

N33879

Category

Airplane

Year built

1941

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Albany → Thomaston

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA13CA435

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot's inadequate pre-flight planning and in-flight monitoring of the fuel level 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

According to the pilot, the airplane was fueled the day prior to the accident and flown 246 miles. Prior to the accident flight, which was 213 miles, the pilot added approximately 2 gallons of fuel to the main fuel tanks, which provided about 13 total gallons of fuel on board for the flight. While enroute to the intended destination the pilot made an unexpected landing to accommodate the needs of a passenger and was on the ground for about 8 minutes. The remaining portion of the flight was uneventful until approximately 12 miles from the destination airport when the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot attempted to land on a nearby road; however, the airplane impacted tree tops and came to rest in a nose down attitude, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. According to a report from the Sheriff's Department, the passenger stated "they ran out of fuel." Postaccident examination revealed about one quart of fuel remained in the fuel system and there was no evidence of mechanical malfunction or any other abnormalities that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.