Fuel Exhaustion & Starvation · NTSB CEN13LA428
COOPER, DAVID W. CHALLENGER II — Mill Creek, IN
| Date | July 21, 2013 |
| Location | Mill Creek, IN |
| Aircraft | COOPER, DAVID W. CHALLENGER II (amateur-built) |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Enroute-cruise Loss of control in flight |
| Pilot age | 36 |
| Pilot total time | 40 hrs · Student / very low time |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Fuel planning-Pilot - C
- Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Experience/qualifications-Total experience-Pilot - F
- Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid level - C
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - F
What happened
The accident airplane and another airplane were en route to an airport as a flight of two airplanes. When the accident airplane did not arrive at the destination airport, a search was conducted, and it was subsequently found in a cornfield. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel tank and carburetor fuel bowls were empty. No evidence of fuel spillage was found at the accident site. Examination did not reveal any evidence of preimpact mechanical anomalies. The pilot did not hold a pilot certificate but had received flight training. He had an instructor's solo endorsement and had soloed; however, he had not received instruction or an endorsement to solo in the accident airplane model. Based on the available evidence, it is likely that the airplane's fuel supply was exhausted, which resulted in a loss of engine power. Subsequently, the pilot lost control of the airplane during the ensuing forced landing due to his limited experience in the airplane model.