Aero Commander 200D N929DM

Summary

On 24 June 2017 at about 18:00 local time, a Aero Commander 200D registered N929DM was involved in an accident near Panama City, Florida, 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

24 June 2017 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Panama City, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Northwest Florida Beaches Intl (ECP)

Coordinates

30.0000, -85.0000

Aircraft

Aero Commander 200D

Registration

N929DM

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

Malden → Panama City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA17LA212

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot's inadequate fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to use the emergency checklist to restart the engine.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot topped off the airplane's four fuel tanks (20 gallons each, 18.5 of which was usable) before the estimated 2 hour 20 minute flight. He departed with the left main fuel tank selected and switched to each of the other three tanks for about 30 minutes each before turning the selector back to the left main tank for the remainder of the flight. About 20 minutes after switching back to the left main tank, the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot reported that the airplane would not maintain altitude, so he focused on making a forced landing and did not use the emergency checklist (which included switching to another fuel tank) to restart the engine. The airplane stalled right before touchdown and landed hard, which resulted in substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the left main fuel tank was intact and empty. The left auxiliary fuel tank was breeched, and a small amount of fuel was found in the tank. The right-wing fuel tanks were not compromised, and about 13 gallons of fuel were drained from the auxiliary tank and about 11.5 gallons were drained from the main tank. Although a fuel supply line to the fuel manifold was found loose during postaccident examination, no fuel stains were observed on the attaching b-nut, fire sleeve, or surrounding area. Based on the condition of the b-nut and lack of stains surrounding the b-nut, the fuel supply line was likely not loose before the accident. During a postaccident engine test-run, the b-nut was correctly installed, and the engine started immediately and ran without hesitation. Examination and the test-run of the engine revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Given that the pilot was operating the airplane on the left main fuel tank at the time the engine lost power and that the tank was found empty, the loss of engine power was likely due to fuel starvation, which resulted from the pilot's mismanagement of the fuel. The pilot's failure to use the emergency checklist and select a different tank when the loss of power occurred contributed to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.