Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164C N6596K

Summary

On 12 May 2021 at about 17:30 local time, a Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164C registered N6596K, operated by Jones Aviation Inc., was involved in an accident near Glenn, California, 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

12 May 2021 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Glenn, California, United States

Coordinates

39.4791, -122.0621

Aircraft

Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G-164C

Registration

N6596K

Category

Airplane

Year built

1978

Engines

1

Operator

Jones Aviation Inc.

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR21LA200

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s fuel mismanagement, which resulted in fuel exhaustion, a total loss of engine power, and an off-airport hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, he departed for the aerial application flight with the fuel gauge indicating a half-full tank of fuel and a full load of product. About 100 ft above ground level the engine lost total power. The pilot elected to make a forced landing to a narrow dirt frontage road. The airplane landed hard and came to rest upright. The wings and fuselage were substantially damaged. Postaccident examination of the airframe revealed that no usable fuel was present in the center fuel tank nor from the wing fuel tanks. Maintenance personnel reported that they checked the fuel gauge in the cockpit, and it revealed that the center fuel tank was indicating half full. When the float connected to an arm in the center tank was manipulated, the fuel gauge in the cockpit moved but not in a manner coincident with the placement of the float, and that the fuel gauge may have been reporting false quantities of fuel. An engine inspection revealed no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that he did not refuel the airplane based on the fuel gauge indications that the fuel tank was half full. Thus, the pilot did not properly manage the airplane’s fuel, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.