Fuel Exhaustion & Starvation · NTSB CEN18FA139
WITTMAN W10 — San Antonio, TX
| Date | April 15, 2018 |
| Location | San Antonio, TX |
| Aircraft | WITTMAN W10 (amateur-built) |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Enroute-cruise Fuel related |
| Pilot age | 68 |
| Pilot total time | 1,149 hrs · Experienced |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Not determined-Not determined-(general)-(general)-Unknown/Not determined - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained - C
What happened
The commercial pilot was conducting a personal flight in his amateur-built airplane to accumulate additional flight time on the overhauled engine. A witness reported that he initially saw the airplane flying about 1,500 ft above the ground with no noticeable engine issues; however, as the airplane flew past his position, the engine began "struggling" for about 10 seconds before power was lost. The witness stated that the airplane was on fire as it descended into terrain. Another witness reported seeing fire coming from the bottom of the airplane while it was inflight. He also stated that the airplane briefly pitched up before it suddenly banked and descended nose down into terrain. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and fire. A functional test of the engine and a comprehensive examination of the airplane's fuel system were not possible due to impact and fire damage. A partial teardown examination showed no evidence of a mechanical malfunction that would have precluded normal operation during the flight.