Burton Dennis W SONEX N683DB

Summary

On 16 August 2015 at about 01:00 local time, a Burton Dennis W SONEX registered N683DB was involved in an accident near Wolcottville, Indiana, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

16 August 2015 at 01:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Wolcottville, Indiana, United States

Coordinates

41.5350, -85.3753

Aircraft

Burton Dennis W SONEX

Registration

N683DB

Category

Airplane

Year built

2007

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kendallville → Kendallville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

GAA15CA234

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot's improper fuel planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion, a forced off-airport landing, and nose over.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a local flight, the pilot reported that his engine quit while maneuvering about 1,200 above ground level. The pilot stated that his only option was to land in a soy bean field, and he attempted to fly as slow as possible prior to touchdown. After rolling about 50 feet in the field the airplane nosed over. The pilot reported that for the majority of the 30 minute flight, he was flying with the fuel mixture full rich. He stated that he did not depart with full fuel, and must have been burning fuel at a higher rate than he originally anticipated. According to a Federal Aviation Administration Aviation Safety Inspector, during a postaccident examination the airplane's fuel tanks were empty and no fuel was found at the tank sumps. The pilot stated there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The vertical stabilizer and left wing sustained substantial damage.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.