Cessna 337B N337PM

Summary

On 24 September 2001 at about 22:15 local time, a Cessna 337B registered N337PM, operated by Aero West Jet Center, was involved in an accident near St. George, Utah, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 September 2001 at 22:15

Classification

Accident

Location

St. George, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

St. George Municipal (SGU)

Coordinates

37.1806, -113.5995

Aircraft

Cessna 337B

Registration

N337PM

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Aero West Jet Center

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Ferry

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mesquite → St. George

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN01FA162

1 person died.

total loss of engine power on both engines due to fuel starvation and the pilot's inability to access the available fuel supply. Contributing factors were the pilot's inadequate supervision of the refueling operation, and his intentional operation of the airplane with known deficiencies in equipment (no fuel selector valve handles or placards installed).

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane had recently been repainted and was being ferried to another airport for complete refurbishing. The interior, including avionics and most of the instruments, had been removed. Prior to departure, the ATP-rated pilot drained both inboard wing tanks and drained no fuel. He requested that 15 gallons of fuel be added to each side. The fuel was put in the inboard (auxiliary) fuel tanks, which have a fuel capacity of 15 gallons each. No fuel was added to the outboard (main) fuel tanks, which have a fuel capacity of 40 gallons each. Departure and the 20 minute en route flight were without reported incident. Witnesses said the pilot had to abandon his initial landing approach to runway 34 due to conflicting traffic. The pilot then turned downwind for runway 6, but the airplane descended below airport elevation (the airport is situated on top of a mesa). Various witness accounts indicated one or both engines lost power. The airplane struck powerlines and impacted a downtown street. Fuel selector valve handles were not found in the wreckage. Upon opening both wings, the left and right fuel selector valves were found slightly misaligned from being centered on the left and right main tanks, respectively. The fuel tanks were then drained. Each auxiliary (inboard) tank contained 15 gallons of fuel. Approximately 3 ounces of fuel were drained from the left main (outboard) tank. No fuel drained from the right main tank.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.