Fuel Exhaustion & Starvation · NTSB ERA20LA313
Beech A36 — Jackson, TN
| Date | September 11, 2020 |
| Location | Jackson, TN |
| Aircraft | Beech A36 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Night/Dark · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Emergency descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 47 |
| Pilot total time | 366 hrs · Building experience |
| Time in type | 200 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid level
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Fuel planning-Pilot
- Personnel issues-Physical-Impairment/incapacitation-Alcohol-Pilot
What happened
The airplane was enroute during a night cross-country flight when the pilot reported to air traffic control that he was low on fuel and needed to divert to a nearby airport. The controller approved the pilot’s request, and there were no additional communications from the pilot. The wreckage of the airplane was later located in a wooded area near the divert airport. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of fuel at the accident scene and no evidence of pre-accident anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane before the accident.
Fuel computations based on refueling records, previous flights, and estimated fuel burn rates showed the engine likely consumed all usable fuel onboard. Additionally, data downloaded from an onboard engine monitor recorded the fuel flow decreasing to zero about 6 minutes before the data ended.
The pilot’s report to air traffic control that he was low on fuel, the onboard engine monitor data showing fuel flow drop to zero, and the lack of fuel at the accident scene all indicate the pilot departed with insufficient fuel onboard to complete his planned flight. This resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and impact with terrain.
The pilot’s toxicology showed that ethanol was present in his femoral blood at nearly three times the regulatory limit for flying. Ethanol was also present in the pilot’s vitreous indicating that the ethanol was likely from ingestion and representative of his blood alcohol level at the time of the crash. Vitreous is relatively unsusceptible to postmortem ethanol production, and the measured proportion of ethanol in vitreous compared to femoral blood fits a typical pattern seen after consumed ethanol is absorbed. The pilot’s decision to fly with insufficient fuel to reach his destination was consistent with the known impairing effects of ethanol on awareness, decision making, and performance. Thus, effects from ethanol likely contributed to the accident.