Rockwell 112TC N4561W

Summary

On 3 July 2002 at about 18:40 local time, a Rockwell 112TC registered N4561W was involved in an accident near Atlantic Ocean. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 July 2002 at 18:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Atlantic Ocean

Coordinates

37.6343, -72.8607

Aircraft

Rockwell 112TC

Registration

N4561W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Marsh Harbor → Fort Pierce

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA02LA126

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper planning/decision and insufficient refueling which resulted in the loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and the aircraft being ditched in the ocean.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he had 55 gallons of fuel on the airplane, when he departed Spruce Creek Airport. He said he determined the fuel quantity based on the fuel level with respect to the metal tab in the tank, and that he flew the airplane to Daytona Beach International Airport, where he loaded passengers and baggage, and then flew to Marsh Harbour, Bahamas. The pilot further stated that the flight was longer than planned because a waypoint had not been entered in the GPS unit, and he flew past Marsh Harbour, and as a result, when he landed, he refueled in Marsh Harbour, putting 10 gallons of fuel in the fuel tank. According to the pilot, he operated the airplane at about 65 % power with the rpms between 2350 and 2400, the manifold pressure at 32 inches of Hg, and that the winds were minimal for both the flight to, and the flight from Marsh Harbour. He said that about 10 to 12 miles from the shore, while on the return flight from Marsh Harbour the engine ceased operating and he ditched the airplane in the Atlantic Ocean. The owner said that the airplane had 50 gallons of fuel on board when it departed Spruce Creek Airport, and that the pilot's fuel consumption calculations were erroneous, with fuel consumption for the airplane at best economy cruise and best power being about 13.5 gals/hour, and 14.5 gals/hr respectively. The owner further stated that the pilot did not anticipate the additional 23% fuel that he needed to complete the flight. Information obtained from FAA Miami Air Traffic Control showed that at 1434:21, a communications transmission was made to ATC during which the person stated, "We are out of fuel."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.