Ryan NAVION A N800PS

Summary

On 6 March 1997 at about 23:00 local time, a Ryan NAVION A registered N800PS was involved in an accident near Hudson, Colorado, 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

6 March 1997 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Hudson, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

40.0708, -104.6396

Aircraft

Ryan NAVION A

Registration

N800PS

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Brighton → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW97LA118

Nobody was injured.

A total power loss due to fuel starvation as a result of the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection of the airplane and its fuel system. Factors include: the pilot's failure to refuel the airplane, the improper fuel tank selector position that would not allow fuel transfer from the fuselage tank to the wing tanks, and the rough, uneven, and soft terrain on which the forced landing was made.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot said he last flew the airplane 5 days before the accident. On that day, the airplane had been fueled to capacity, then he flew for 1.5 hours. For the accident flight, the pilot estimated he had no less than 38 gallons of fuel on board (20 gallons in the fuselage tank and 18 gallons in the two wing tanks). The pilot said that although he did not visually check the fuel tanks prior to takeoff, the fuel gauges indicated all fuel tanks were full. Shortly after takeoff, the engine lost power. The pilot made a forced landing in a plowed field, and the airplane was substantially damaged. When the pilot removed the right wing fuel cap, he saw no evidence of fuel in the tank. The fuselage tank was full. Fuel from the fuselage tank can be introduced into the main fuel supply by opening the fuel transfer valve. Activating the boost pump will accelerate the process. The pilot said he turned on the boost pump but did not have sufficient time to open the fuel transfer valve.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.