Easterwood Mark W RV 6A N555TN

Summary

On 7 September 2015 at about 14:00 local time, a Easterwood Mark W RV 6A registered N555TN was involved in an accident near Rome, Georgia, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 September 2015 at 14:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Rome, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Richard B Russell Regional - J (RMG)

Coordinates

34.3556, -85.1408

Aircraft

Easterwood Mark W RV 6A

Registration

N555TN

Category

Airplane

Year built

2011

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rome → Rome

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA15LA344

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection and fuel planning, 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

The private pilot stated that, during the preflight inspection, he used a dipstick to measure fuel quantity; the right tank contained 3 gallons, and the left tank contained 6 gallons. He noted that the fuel level was low but determined that it was adequate for two or three touch-and-go landings. The pilot departed with the fuel selector positioned to the left tank, where it remained for the entire flight. After one landing and one low approach, the engine experienced a total loss of power while the airplane was on an extended left crosswind leg of the airport traffic pattern. The pilot performed a 180° left turn toward the opposite direction runway. After an unsuccessful attempt to restart the engine, the pilot determined that the airplane would not be able to glide to the runway and performed a forced landing to a field. During the landing, the wings and fuselage sustained substantial damage. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. Both fuel tanks remained intact. About 1.5 gallons of fuel was present in the left fuel tank. The right fuel tank was absent of fuel, and no fuel was present in the fuel strainer. Each fuel tank had a capacity of 19 gallons, of which about 1 gallon in each tank was unusable.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.