Casualties unknown

2006-10-12: Beech E-55 (N94LL) — Ontario, OR

Ontario, OR, US

On October 12, 2006, a Beech E-55 (registration N94LL) was involved in an aviation accident near Ontario, OR. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The dual loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's failure to adequately determine the amount of fuel aboard the airplane during his preflight preparation. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.

Sourcesthe U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archivePrimary reportUpdated 1781061362Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot's undetected fuel shortfall due to an unfulfilled refueling request led to both engines losing power over an airport, followed by a runway overrun and impact with an irrigation channel.

Incident Overview

According to the pilot, during preflight planning he believed the airplane was carrying 115 gallons of fuel when it actually contained 55 gallons. The discrepancy of 60 gallons was attributed to a refueling request made to a fixed base operator that was never completed, and which the pilot did not verify. This shortfall resulted in fuel exhaustion in both engines while the airplane was approximately 7,500 feet above an airport.

Descent and Approach

After the engines lost power, the pilot performed a spiraling descent over the airport and entered the traffic pattern for runway 14. He intentionally chose to land long to avoid the risk of falling short of the runway. On short final, the pilot noted the airplane was "clearly high and fast, pretty much as expected, but not slowing, which was not expected."

Landing and Overrun

The airplane touched down approximately 1,000 feet before the end of the runway. It overran the runway end, impacted a concrete irrigation channel about 350 feet from the runway end, and came to a stop roughly 200 feet past the channel. No injuries or fatalities were reported in the source.

Investigation report by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive. Original record: https://carol.ntsb.gov/event/20061114X01669. This page is a structured re-presentation; facts and quotes are in the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), United States.