De Havilland DHC-6-200 N491AL

Summary

On 23 July 1997 at about 17:30 local time, a De Havilland DHC-6-200 registered N491AL, operated by Skys the Limit, was involved in an accident near Sussex, New Jersey, 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

23 July 1997 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Sussex, New Jersey, United States

Nearest airport

Sussex (N63)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

De Havilland DHC-6-200

Registration

N491AL

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Skys the Limit

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Montgomery → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC97LA151

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's improper management of the fuel supply. A related factor was the inoperative low fuel quantity light for the rear tank.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed on a 15-minute positioning flight. About 4 miles from the destination, both engines lost power, and the pilot landed in an open field, where the airplane struck trees. The pilot reported he departed with about 800 pounds of fuel on board, and thought the gauges indicated about 300 pounds remaining when the power loss occurred. Examination revealed over 200 pounds of fuel remained in the forward tank, and the rear tank indicated 30 pounds. Both boost pumps were operative. The rear tank boost pump would not extinguish the low fuel pressure light, while the forward tank boost pump would. In addition, the low fuel quantity light for the aft tank, which should have illuminated at about 100 pounds of fuel remaining, was inoperative due to a corroded wire connection.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.