Pitts A N113A

Summary

On 19 December 2019 at about 22:35 local time, a Pitts A registered N113A was involved in an accident near Hickory Valley, Tennessee, 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

19 December 2019 at 22:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Hickory Valley, Tennessee, United States

Coordinates

35.1817, -89.1039

Aircraft

Pitts A

Registration

N113A

Category

Airplane

Year built

1967

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bolivar → Bolivar

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA20CA090

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s improper 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 pilot reported that the airplane departed with 17.5 gallons of fuel and about 1 hour and 25 minutes after departure the engine lost power. He attempted to restart the engine using the boost pump to no avail. The pilot elected to make an off-airport landing to a road; during the landing the airplane landed hard and the left main landing gear collapsed resulting in substantial damage to both wings and the firewall.  Both the wing fuel tanks were examined and no evidence of fuel remained in either tank. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported as a safety recommendation that more thoughtfully studying the fuel consumption "break in" period could have prevented the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.