Christen PITTS S 2B N88EW

Summary

On 5 August 2014 at about 18:15 local time, a Christen PITTS S 2B registered N88EW, operated by Lance Murray Aviation LLC, was involved in an accident near Oceanside, California, United States. 2 people were 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

5 August 2014 at 18:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Oceanside, California, United States

Nearest airport

Oceanside Muni (OKB)

Coordinates

33.2214, -117.3442

Aircraft

Christen PITTS S 2B

Registration

N88EW

Category

Airplane

Year built

1985

Engines

1

Operator

Lance Murray Aviation LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Carlsbad → Carlsbad

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR14LA329

Nobody was injured.

The total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inadequate fuel planning.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, following spin practice in a local practice area, he leveled the airplane and noticed that the bubble within the fuel sight gauge was not visible. As the pilot began to return to the departure airport, the engine began to run rough. The pilot immediately diverted to a nearby airport, and, shortly after diverting, the engine lost power. The pilot performed a left circling approach to the runway; however, he realized he was too high as he turned onto the base leg of the traffic pattern. The pilot then performed a left sideslip to increase the rate of descent. He did not think that he was in a safe position to land and performed a right 270-degree turn. The pilot stated that, during the turn, he realized the airplane would not be able to reach the runway, and he initiated a forced landing to an open field. Subsequently, the airplane landed hard and nosed over. The pilot reported that before the flight he thought that he had three-quarters of a tank of fuel onboard the airplane, which he thought was sufficient for a 30-minute flight plus visual flight rules reserve fuel requirements. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that when the main fuel tank fuel cap was removed, about 1 to 2 cups of liquid drained from the fuel tank. The engine was test run while installed on the airframe without incident. In addition, the fuel indicating system was found to function normally and no leaks were observed within the fuel system. Further examination of the airplane revealed no preexisting mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.