Aldinger Albert John COZY MARK III N964AL

Summary

On 3 August 2023 at about 18:45 local time, a Aldinger Albert John COZY MARK III registered N964AL was involved in an accident near McDermitt, Oregon, United States. One person was 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

3 August 2023 at 18:45

Classification

Accident

Location

McDermitt, Oregon, United States

Coordinates

42.2394, -117.9255

Aircraft

Aldinger Albert John COZY MARK III

Registration

N964AL

Category

Airplane

Year built

1996

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Shelton → Battle Mountain

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR23LA303

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's inadequate preflight fuel planning, 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

According to the pilot, he had recently purchased the airplane and was in the process of relocating it to his home airport. During the flight, he had no way to monitor the fuel burn during the flight other than the fuel sight gauges, which he could not see due to objects blocking his view. While the pilot was not able to monitor the fuel burn during the flight, he did lean the fuel and routinely switched fuel tanks; he believed he had plenty of fuel for the flight. After flying for about 2 hours and 20 minutes, the airplane sustained a complete loss of engine power. Unable to maintain altitude, he conducted an off-airport landing to a dirt road. During the landing roll, the airplane encountered uneven terrain, nosed over, and came to rest inverted. A visual inspection of the fuel system was conducted, and continuity was established from the main fuel tanks throughout the system; however, there was no fuel observed. A functional engine test was conducted, and a ground run was performed at various power settings uneventfully for about 5 minutes. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The total amount of fuel onboard the airplane before the flight could not be determined; however, given the lack of fuel found in the tanks after the accident and no indications of engine anomalies, it is likely that the loss of engine power was due to fuel exhaustion.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.