Whetzel THORPE T-18 N60LW

Summary

On 25 September 2002 at about 20:00 local time, a Whetzel THORPE T-18 registered N60LW was involved in an accident near Valley Center, California, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 September 2002 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Valley Center, California, United States

Nearest airport

Blackinton Airport (2CA4)

Coordinates

33.2583, -117.0833

Aircraft

Whetzel THORPE T-18

Registration

N60LW

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ramona Airport → Valley Center

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX02LA296

1 person had minor injuries.

the pilot's inadequate preflight planning/preparation by not verifying the fuel supply, and his inadequate in-flight planning/decision, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and loss of engine power. A factor in the accident was the pilot's decision to initiate flight with a known equipment deficiency (inoperative fuel quantity gauge).

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the engine experienced a loss of power while en route, and the airplane collided with a dirt berm while he attempted a forced landing at a private airstrip. With the flaps in the retracted position, he attempted to land on the dirt runway. While on the landing roll, he was unable to stop the airplane before colliding with a hill at the end of the runway. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane about an hour after the accident occurred. He did not see any skid marks to indicate emergency braking action. He also saw no signs of fuel at the accident site. He visually checked the inside of the fuel tanks and found that both were empty. Neither of the fuel tanks were breached during the accident. He also noted that the airplane's fuel gauges were inoperable. The pilot told him that the fuel indictors do not work, but he visually checked the quantity before flights. He added that he uses automobile fuel, which has no color, and therefore, is difficult to verify quantity.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.