Fuel Exhaustion & Starvation · NTSB ERA11FA285
HEBERT PETER J LANCAIR LEGACY — Richlands, NC
| Date | May 6, 2011 |
| Location | Richlands, NC |
| Aircraft | HEBERT PETER J LANCAIR LEGACY (amateur-built) |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Enroute-cruise Loss of engine power (total) |
| Pilot age | 52 |
| Pilot total time | 1,100 hrs · Experienced |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 2 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Fuel planning-Pilot - C
- Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid management - C
What happened
About 3 hours 39 minutes into a cross-country flight, the pilot declared an emergency to an air traffic controller due to low fuel pressure. The controller vectored the flight to the nearest airport; however, the airplane impacted a field about 3 miles short of the runway. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions, and the fuel selector valve was found positioned to the left main fuel tank. Data recovered from the airplane's engine data monitor revealed that at the time of the emergency, no fuel remained in the left main fuel tank; however, approximately 20 gallons of fuel remained in the right fuel tank. The investigation could not determine why the pilot did not position the fuel selector handle to the right main fuel tank. The airplane held 67 gallons of fuel and the pilot fully fueled the airplane with 46.1 gallons prior to departure.