Alon A2 N5607F

Summary

On 19 July 2015 at about 23:05 local time, a Alon A2 registered N5607F was involved in an accident near Holland, Michigan, 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

19 July 2015 at 23:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Holland, Michigan, United States

Coordinates

42.7811, -86.2100

Aircraft

Alon A2

Registration

N5607F

Category

Airplane

Year built

1966

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Holland → Grand Haven

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN15LA332

1 person had minor injuries.

A total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation during cruise flight. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inadequate preflight 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 he visually checked the airplane's fuel tanks before departure but that he did not measure the amount of fuel. He added that the fuel flow meter showed that the airplane had 9.7 gallons of fuel at takeoff. After takeoff, the pilot flew to a city about 70 miles away, took some photographs over another city, and then conducted a touch-and-go at another airport. Shortly after, he turned the airplane north, and, about 30 seconds later, the engine lost power and then "quit." During the subsequent forced landing on a beach, the engine sustained damage, and the fuselage and right wing spar sustained substantial damage. An on-scene examination of the wreckage revealed no apparent fuel spills, leaks, or stains nor were any found in the hangar after the airplane was recovered. Due to the damage, the engine could not be test run. When examined, the gascolator was found nearly filled with fuel; the total recovered fuel on board was estimated to be about 1/2 gallon. It is likely that most of the fuel was used during the flight and that the small amount of fuel remaining was not sufficient to reach the engine while the airplane was turning, which led to the engine losing power. Given the lack of fuel, the pilot likely did not conduct adequate preflight fuel planning to ensure that there was sufficient fuel for the flight and that required reserves (30 minutes) for visual flight rules flight remained.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.