Saunders STILETTO N337DS

Summary

On 5 July 2007 at about 23:30 local time, a Saunders STILETTO registered N337DS, operated by William Oertel, was involved in an accident near Quartzsite, Arizona, United States. 2 people were 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

5 July 2007 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Quartzsite, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

33.6333, -113.7667

Aircraft

Saunders STILETTO

Registration

N337DS

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

William Oertel

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chandler → Chino

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX07CA205

1 person had minor injuries.

Fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection during which he failed to insure security of the fuel tank's cap.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Fuel exhaustion occurred during cruise flight, and the airplane collided with a vehicle on a highway during the ensuing forced landing. Earlier during the day the pilot had landed to refuel. Prior to taking off he had not confirmed that the right wing's fuel tank cap was secured. While flying en route, no evidence of any mechanical malfunction was noted prior to experiencing the sudden loss of all engine power. The pilot reported that he subsequently inspected his airplane and observed that the right wing's fuel tank cap was missing. The pilot stated that fuel in the tank had evidently ported overboard during flight. He indicated that the accident could have been prevented had he performed a better preflight inspection.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.