Redfield Thomas C RV-6A N136TR

Summary

On 1 September 2024 at about 15:38 local time, a Redfield Thomas C RV-6A registered N136TR was involved in an accident near Trinity, Virginia, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 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

1 September 2024 at 15:38

Classification

Accident

Location

Trinity, Virginia, United States

Coordinates

37.4513, -79.9095

Aircraft

Redfield Thomas C RV-6A

Registration

N136TR

Category

Airplane

Year built

2000

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Valparaison → Richmond

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA24LA367

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilots’ improper in-flight fuel management, 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

The pilot reported that before departing for the 508 nautical mile cross-country flight, he had a total of 38 gallons of fuel onboard. After departing his home airport, the pilot climbed the airplane to 11,000 ft mean sea level (msl) and was flying “[visual flight rules] on top.” While at 11,000 ft msl, the pilot requested radar vectors around some weather from air traffic control (ATC), during which time, the pilot noticed that his fuel consumption was much higher than he had anticipated. The pilot asked ATC for radar vectors to the nearest airport. The pilot described that the airplane “ran out of fuel” about 7 miles from the diversion airport. The pilot performed a forced landing in a field, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane’s fuselage and wings. A postaccident examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that both wing fuel tanks were absent of fuel and there was no evidence of a fuel leak. After the airplane was recovered, the airframe and engine’s fuel systems were examined in detail and there was no evidence of any preimpact anomalies or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.