Accident Sequence
The pilot discharged three parachutists into a drop zone from about 12,000 feet mean sea level and then attempted to return to the departure airport. As the airplane descended through 8,000 feet, the engine began surging. The pilot continued the descent and entered the departure airport's traffic pattern. He misjudged his distance from the runway, and when all engine power was lost while turning onto the final approach leg, he was unable to glide to the runway. The airplane impacted terrain about 250 feet short of the landing threshold, whereupon it nosed over.
Pilot Qualifications
The pilot was 5 months overdue in completing a biennial flight review and had not flown during the previous 90 days. The pilot had alleged to the firm that used his piloting services that he possessed a commercial pilot certificate and had at least 4,000 hours of flight time. On a May 2000 application for an FAA medical certificate, the pilot indicated that he held a commercial pilot certificate and had 8,100 hours of total flight time. According to the FAA, no record exists of the pilot holding any certificate in the United States other than that of private pilot. The pilot subsequently reported to the Safety Board that he had about 1,905 hours of flight time.
Fuel Examination
A reconstruction of the fuel load carried during the accident flight, in concert with the fuel burn-off rates, revealed that at the time of the crash, the approximate quantity of fuel on board was 4.4 gallons. According to the Cessna Aircraft Company, the unusable fuel for each tank is 2.5 gallons, or a total of 5 gallons.