Stinson L 5 N4252K

Summary

On 6 November 2016 at about 18:22 local time, a Stinson L 5 registered N4252K was involved in an accident near San Marcos, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

6 November 2016 at 18:22

Classification

Accident

Location

San Marcos, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

San Marcos Regional (HYI)

Coordinates

29.8900, -97.8586

Aircraft

Stinson L 5

Registration

N4252K

Category

Airplane

Year built

1944

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Marcos → San Marcos

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN17LA036

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot’s improper fuel management before landing, which resulted in fuel starvation and the subsequent total loss of engine power during a subsequent go-around when the fuel became unported during the climbing turn.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that the airplane bounced while landing on the runway, so he conducted a go-around. During climbout, the engine lost power at 500 ft above ground level. The pilot turned the airplane to land on another runway; however, the airplane was not able to reach the runway, so he landed on wet grass between the runways. Upon touchdown, the left main landing gear collapsed when it dug into the soft terrain, and the airplane nosed over. The pilot reported that, for the entire flight, he had the fuel selector positioned on the left tank. The pilot added that the airplane usually burned between 9 and 10 gallons of fuel per hour. Therefore, given the flight was about 1 hour 22 minutes long and the tank held 15 gallons of usable fuel, the left tank probably contained about 2 to 3 gallons of usable fuel at the time of the accident. The right fuel tank was full. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that there was no fuel in the fuel line leading into the engine. The position of the fuel pick-up line in the wing would have allowed the fuel in the wing to unport during the climbing turn. Given the low fuel level in the selected left fuel tank, it is likely that the fuel supply to the engine was interrupted during the climbing turn. If the pilot had selected the full right fuel tank, the loss of power would likely not have occurred.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.