Stephen J Moorman JUST AIRCRAFT HIGHLA N169SM

Summary

On 13 August 2023 at about 16:10 local time, a Stephen J Moorman JUST AIRCRAFT HIGHLA registered N169SM was involved in an accident near Edenton, North Carolina, United States. 2 people were 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

13 August 2023 at 16:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Edenton, North Carolina, United States

Coordinates

36.0218, -76.4695

Aircraft

Stephen J Moorman JUST AIRCRAFT HIGHLA

Registration

N169SM

Category

Airplane

Year built

2012

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kitty Hawk → Manteo

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA23LA338

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inadequate fuel planning, which led to 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 pilot reported that he departed with 4 gallons of fuel onboard and the purpose of the accident flight was to fly to an airport that sold fuel. During approach to the destination airport, the pilot thought that the control tower had not opened yet, but it had. He was having difficulty hearing the controller over the radio and was not prepared to enter controlled airspace, so he diverted to another airport. While en route to the diversion airport, the engine lost all power and the pilot ditched the airplane in a sound. Postaccident examination of the wreckage following initial recovery from the sound and again at a recovery facility did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane had flown for about 40 minutes with 4 gallons of fuel. Based on engine fuel consumption data, the engine likely exhausted its fuel supply during the diversion to an alternate airport.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.