Maule M-4-210C N9866M

Summary

On 24 January 2005 at about 18:45 local time, a Maule M-4-210C registered N9866M was involved in an accident near McAlister, Oklahoma, 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

24 January 2005 at 18:45

Classification

Accident

Location

McAlister, Oklahoma, United States

Nearest airport

McAlister Regional Airport (MLC)

Coordinates

34.8822, -95.7833

Aircraft

Maule M-4-210C

Registration

N9866M

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Jackson → McAlister

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DFW05CA061

1 person had minor injuries.

The loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as result of the pilot's improper fuel calculations, and his inadequate in-flight planning decision. A contributing factor was the pilot's failure to complete an emergency pre-landing checklist, which resulted in a fuel surge during his first attempted landing into the field.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that during the trip, he had been monitoring his fuel quantity based on calculations derived from the fuel flow indications by a fuel flow meter that was installed in his airplane. He was convinced that he had enough fuel to make it to his destination; however, when the airplane was approximately five miles east of the airport, the engine quit. The pilot looked down and noticed that the fuel quantity indicators indicated that the fuel tanks were empty. The pilot then elected to execute a forced landing into a cow pasture to the south; however, he did not complete an emergency pre-landing checklist, which included instructions to pull the mixture to an "idle cut-off" position and turn off the ignition switch . He circled the field once to lose altitude and attempted to land in a southerly direction when the engine got a "surge of fuel" and "restarted at full cruise power." The pilot then made a 180-degree turn to stay in the field. During the turn, the engine lost power once again, and "the airplane stalled and landed hard." An examination of the airplane by an FAA Inspector revealed that the fuel tanks were empty.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.