Fuel Exhaustion & Starvation · NTSB ERA24FA103
GRUMMAN AMERICAN AVN. CORP. GA-7 — Coatesville, PA
| Date | February 1, 2024 |
| Location | Coatesville, PA |
| Aircraft | GRUMMAN AMERICAN AVN. CORP. GA-7 |
| Purpose of flight | Positioning |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Initial climb Loss of control in flight |
| Pilot age | 65 |
| Pilot total time | 1,800 hrs · Experienced |
| Time in type | 999,999 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Inspection-Preflight inspection-Pilot
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Inspection-Scheduled/routine inspection-Maintenance personnel
- Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid condition
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained
What happened
The most recent annual inspection was completed about 45 days before the accident. After completion of the annual inspection the airplane was flown to another airport, where it would be the subject of a restoration project and then sold. The airplane then sat outside, and during that period the airport received about 10 inches of precipitation. The purpose of the accident flight was to deliver the airplane to its new owner.
According to company and airport employees, the pilot arrived at the departure airport around 1230 and made it clear that he was “in a hurry,” as he had a return flight booked for 1800 that evening. According to witnesses, the airplane was fueled with 80 gallons of 100LL fuel and the pilot performed a very brief and incomplete preflight inspection, which did not include obtaining fuel samples from either of the airplane’s fuel tanks. During takeoff, the airplane’s engine “popped,” which was followed by sputtering and an aggressive turn to the right (consistent with a Vmc roll), before it disappeared behind the trees.
Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that both fuel tanks were intact and fuel was observed in the tanks. Fuel samples taken from the sump tank, engine-driven fuel pump, and the carburetor bowl on the airplane’s right side all contained water and debris.
The examination also revealed that the right fuel cap was missing its gasket, which was required, and should have been detected during the most recent annual inspection.