Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G 164B N48687

Summary

On 12 June 2015 at about 17:15 local time, a Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G 164B registered N48687, operated by Barney Steven K, was involved in an accident near Foster, Nebraska, United States. One person was on board and one 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

12 June 2015 at 17:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Foster, Nebraska, United States

Coordinates

42.2739, -97.6644

Aircraft

Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G 164B

Registration

N48687

Category

Airplane

Year built

1976

Engines

1

Operator

Barney Steven K

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bloomfield → Bloomfield

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN15LA271

1 person had minor injuries.

The total loss of engine power during a low-level aerial application flight due to fuel exhaustion following the pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection that led to his assumption that sufficient fuel was on board for the flight based on his reliance on a fuel gauge that indicated the incorrect fuel level.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he departed on a local agricultural application flight with what he believed was sufficient fuel on board for 2 hours of flight. He stated that he based this assumption solely on viewing the fuel quantity gauge and did not insert a stick in the fuel tank to check the fuel amount before departing on the accident flight. About 1 hour 15 minutes into the flight, the airplane lost engine power, and the pilot subsequently conducted a forced landing on muddy and water-logged terrain. The airplane then nosed over and sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that, during a postaccident examination, the fuel quantity gauge read 1/4 full even though the fuel system was actually empty. The preflight procedures contained in the airplane's flight manual included a fuel quantity check, which was to be accomplished by opening the fuel cap and visually checking the fuel level, and a fuel gauge check to observe the fuel gauge for proper reading. The pilot did not verify the fuel quantity in accordance with these procedures before departing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.