Cessna O1-A N211PP

Summary

On 23 March 2014 at about 18:10 local time, a Cessna O1-A registered N211PP, operated by St. Pete Aerial Advertising, was involved in an accident near St. Petersburg, Florida, 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

23 March 2014 at 18:10

Classification

Accident

Location

St. Petersburg, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Albert Whitted (SPG)

Coordinates

27.7603, -82.6292

Aircraft

Cessna O1-A

Registration

N211PP

Category

Airplane

Year built

1951

Engines

1

Operator

St. Pete Aerial Advertising

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Banner Tow

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

St. Petersburg → St. Petersburg

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA14LA167

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper in-flight fuel management, which resulted in fuel exhaustion in the selected tank and 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

The pilot departed on the 2-hour banner tow flight with 58 gallons of fuel onboard the airplane. After 1 hour, the pilot returned to the airport to pick up a different banner for the second hour of the flight. The pilot's first pick-up attempt was unsuccessful. He then briefly circled the pick-up location and then completed the pick-up on the second attempt. During the initial climb, the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot released the banner and conducted a forced landing to a saltwater bay. Postrecovery examination of the fuel tanks revealed that the right main and auxiliary tanks were full of fuel and contained some saltwater. The left auxiliary tank was full of fuel and contained some saltwater, and the 18-gallon left main tank was empty and dry and contained no traces of either fuel or water. The pilot reported that the entire flight was conducted on the left main fuel tank. During a subsequent test run using the fuel that was onboard the airplane at the time of the accident, the engine operated with no anomalies or malfunctions. Interpolation of fuel consumption chart data revealed that the engine could consume between 7 and 10 gallons per hour (gph) during cruise flight and, according to an engine manufacturer representative, it could consume up to 21 gph during a full-power climb. According to the pilot, the engine power loss occurred during the fifth climbout of the flight. According to the Pilot's Operating Handbook, the fuel selector should be placed on the fullest tank before descent. Although the fuel selector was found in the right main tank position, the pilot did not recall switching the fuel selector to the right tank, and it is likely that he moved the fuel selector following the loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.