Holmlund Victor P AURIGA N234VV

Summary

On 16 July 2014 at about 14:10 local time, a Holmlund Victor P AURIGA registered N234VV was involved in an accident near Manville, New Jersey, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 July 2014 at 14:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Manville, New Jersey, United States

Nearest airport

Central Jersey Rgnl (47N)

Coordinates

40.5181, -74.6047

Aircraft

Holmlund Victor P AURIGA

Registration

N234VV

Category

Airplane

Year built

2011

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Manville → Manville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA14LA342

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s improper preflight fuel planning and in-flight fuel monitoring, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was conducting a local personal flight in the experimental amateur-built airplane. While the airplane was on final approach and the pilot was maneuvering to land, the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. The airplane then impacted trees about 1/4 mile from the approach end of the runway. A witness reported hearing the engine "sputtering badly" before impact. According to local authorities who responded to the accident, the pilot reported that he "estimated" that he had sufficient fuel for 45 minutes of flight on board before departure and that the flight was about 18 minutes long. However, he further reported that he may not have seen one of the fuel warning lights illuminate during the landing and that he may have been "too low on fuel." Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Examination of the accident site revealed no evidence of fuel spillage and no fuel odor. Therefore, given the evidence and the pilot's statement, it is likely that the engine experienced a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's inadequate preflight fuel planning and in-flight fuel monitoring.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.