Aero Commander 200D N2975T

Summary

On 28 April 1996 at about 20:00 local time, a Aero Commander 200D registered N2975T, operated by Fletcher E. Newland, was involved in an accident near Covington, Washington, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 April 1996 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Covington, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Crest Airpark (S36)

Coordinates

47.3607, -122.0999

Aircraft

Aero Commander 200D

Registration

N2975T

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Fletcher E. Newland

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Puyallup → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA96LA085

Nobody was injured.

fuel starvation, due to the pilot's improper fuel management. The uneven terrain in the forced landing area was a related factor.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that the aircraft's two main tanks (usable capacity 18.5 gallons each) were half full, with 'a couple of inches of fuel visible' before takeoff. He elected to make a 15-1/2 nautical mile flight without refueling. During the base-to-final turn at the destination, the aircraft's engine lost power. The pilot stated that he immediately switched from the left main tank to the right main tank, but that he 'did not activate the boost pump because it had flooded the engine in the past.' The engine did not restart, and the pilot decided he would not be able to reach the landing runway. He then performed a forced landing in a soft, uneven field. The airplane was substantially damaged during the forced landing. On-site examination revealed that the left main tank contained only residual fuel, the right main tank appeared empty, and both auxiliary tanks (usable capacity 18.5 gallons each) appeared about 1/4 full. During a postaccident engine test, the engine was successfully run for approximately five minutes by using residual fuel in the main tanks.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.