De Havilland DHC-1 N420TD

Summary

On 6 November 2024 at about 21:55 local time, a De Havilland DHC-1 registered N420TD was involved in an accident near East Troy, Wisconsin, 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

6 November 2024 at 21:55

Classification

Accident

Location

East Troy, Wisconsin, United States

Nearest airport

East Troy Municipal Airport (57C)

Coordinates

42.7972, -88.3726

Aircraft

De Havilland DHC-1

Registration

N420TD

Category

Airplane

Year built

1951

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN25LA035

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s inadequate fuel management, which resulted in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power. Contributing to the accident was the inaccurate fuel gauge.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that the left wing fuel tank contained 3 gallons and the right wing fuel tank contained 4 gallons of fuel before departing on the accident flight. The pilot said he determined the fuel quantities during the prefight from fuel quantity gauge indications and by looking into each fuel tank to see if it was wetted with fuel. The pilot departed, performed one touch-and-go landing, then flew about 3 miles west, where he performed two steep turns before returning to the airport. The pilot reported that, while on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, the left wing fuel quantity gauge indicated 2 gallons, the right wing fuel quantity gauge indicated 3 gallons. While on final approach for landing, about 250-300 ft above ground level (agl) the engine lost total power. The pilot switched fuel tanks, but the engine did not regain power. The pilot performed a forced landing about 300 to 400 ft short of the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane. Postaccident examination revealed that the left wing fuel tank was empty and the right tank contained about 1 ½ gal of fuel. No fuel was present at the carburetor jets or the fuel supply line to the carburetor. The lack of fuel in these locations is consistent with a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. It is likely that the engine could not be restarted immediately due to air within the fuel system. Testing of the left wing fuel tank quantity gauge found the gauge was inaccurate, likely due to the presence of corrosion within the gauge assembly. Examination of the engine revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded engine operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.