Fuel Exhaustion & Starvation · NTSB CEN09FA230
CESSNA 337C — Stillwater, OK
| Date | March 27, 2009 |
| Location | Stillwater, OK |
| Aircraft | CESSNA 337C |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Night/Dark · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Initial climb Loss of engine power (total) |
| Pilot age | 58 |
| Pilot total time | 23,620 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid level - C
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Fuel planning-Pilot - C
What happened
Witnesses reported that the airplane departed a private airstrip and the engine or engines were running "rough or misfiring" before the engines "went silent" and the airplane impacted a ravine. The on-site examination of the airplane found that the left auxiliary and main fuel tanks contained about three gallons of fuel each, and that the right auxiliary and main fuel tanks contained less than a gallon total. The position of the fuel valves prior to impact could not be determined. The front fuel strainer/gascolator was found submerged and filled with water and the rear strainer/gascolator was found empty. The airframe and engine examinations did not reveal any abnormalities that would have prevented normal operation. Witnesses reported that the pilot was flying to another airport to refuel the airplane.