Sorensen Danny S BF9 2 N81973

Summary

On 31 May 2018 at about 23:45 local time, a Sorensen Danny S BF9 2 registered N81973 was involved in an accident near Evanston, Wyoming, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

31 May 2018 at 23:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Evanston, Wyoming, United States

Coordinates

41.2542, -110.9997

Aircraft

Sorensen Danny S BF9 2

Registration

N81973

Category

Airplane

Year built

2008

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Longmont → Evanston

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA18CA330

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to fuel the biplane’s main fuel tank before the flight and his inadequate preflight inspection, during which he did not verify the fuel quantity, which resulted in fuel exhaustion

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the biplane reported that he believed he had departed with 38 gallons of fuel in the main fuel tank and 17 gallons in the auxiliary fuel tank. En route, the auxiliary fuel tank ran dry, so he switched to the main fuel tank, which he believed had 35 gallons of fuel remaining. The pilot reported that, while descending to the destination airport, the engine experienced a loss of power. He added that he believed the throttle linkage had broken and that the carburetor was at idle. During the forced landing, he aligned the airplane with a highway and observed four semi-tractor trailers but thought they were ahead of his flightpath. The biplane struck one of the semi-tractor trailers, violently turned right, and then came to rest inverted on the right side of the highway. The biplane sustained substantial damage to the left wings. Postaccident examination revealed that the main fuel tank was empty, and the throttle linkage was intact. The pilot reported that his typical fueling process is to fuel the main fuel tank before fueling the auxiliary fuel tank. He added that he reviewed fuel receipts and found that, before the accident flight, he fueled the auxiliary fuel tank first and, while following his routine, believed that the main fuel tank had already been fueled. This resulted in a departure with 10 gallons of fuel less than planned. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the biplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.