Taylorcraft L 2M N46147

Summary

On 21 December 2018 at about 21:30 local time, a Taylorcraft L 2M registered N46147 was involved in an accident near Walla Walla, Washington, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 December 2018 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Walla Walla, Washington, United States

Coordinates

46.2322, -118.2242

Aircraft

Taylorcraft L 2M

Registration

N46147

Category

Airplane

Year built

1943

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sandpoint → Walla Walla

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR19LA049

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper preflight 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 pilot had just purchased the airplane. Before departing on the cross-country flight, he conducted preflight fuel planning based on the airplane’s total fuel capacity and the fuel consumption rate as reported by the previous owner (16 gallons and 4 gallons per hour, respectively). The pilot reported that, about 30 minutes from the destination, the fuel quantity gauges “showed low fuel,” but he thought he had adequate fuel onboard to reach the airport. About 15 minutes from the destination, the engine lost total power and the pilot performed a forced landing to a field. The airplane nosed down during the landing roll and came to rest upright, resulting in substantial damage to the engine firewall and mounts. An industry expert for the accident airplane make/model and engine configuration indicated that the airplane’s fuel consumption was likely about 6 gallons per hour and that the airplane had a total fuel capacity of 14 gallons. During a subsequent interview, the pilot reported that the loss of engine power was the result of fuel exhaustion. The pilot’s reliance on the information provided by the previous owner likely contributed to his exhaustion of the available fuel.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.