John S Hickey SWEARINGEN SX 300 N83JH

Summary

On 14 March 1998 at about 00:02 local time, a John S Hickey SWEARINGEN SX 300 registered N83JH was involved in an accident near Thomson, Georgia, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 March 1998 at 00:02

Classification

Accident

Location

Thomson, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Thomson McDuffie Airport (HQU)

Coordinates

33.4595, -82.5007

Aircraft

John S Hickey SWEARINGEN SX 300

Registration

N83JH

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Covington → Aiken

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

ATL98FA056

1 person died.

The pilot's inadequate preflight planning of the fuel supply required for the flight that resulted in fuel exhaustion and the loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

A 911 caller reported that he heard and saw an airplane fly overhead about 500 feet above the ground on a westerly heading. He stated that the engine was running rough and 'cutting out'. The engine then went silent as the airplane descended below the tree tops. The 911 operator told the caller that she would telephone the local airport, and inquire about the reported airplane. When the 911 operator telephoned the airport, there was no answer. There was no further action by the 911 service until the family of the pilot inquired about the location of the airplane several hours later. The airplane was located two miles east of the airport two days later. The pilot was fatally injured. The cause of death was listed as blunt force trauma, complicated by hypothermia. According to the pilot's logbook, the airplane had flown 4.6 hours from the time it was last refueled to the time of the crash. The airplane holds 66 gallons of fuel. The fuel consumption ranges between between 12 and 16 gallons per hour. The airplane's fuel endurance ranges between 4.125 and 5.5 hours. The pilot had 11 hours of total time in this airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.