No fatalities

1 Dec 2012: BEECH B19 — Status Air — Fort Lauderdale, FL

Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States

On 1 Dec 2012, a BEECH B19 operated by Status Air was involved in an aviation accident near Fort Lauderdale, FL. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a total loss of engine power. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During an orientation flight for two potential student pilots, the engine lost power after two traffic patterns. The pilot attempted an emergency landing, touched down hard on a taxiway, and skidded into the grass infield. No fuel was found in the airplane; the pilot reported fuel exhaustion. The occupants were not injured.

Event

The pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was an orientation for two potential student pilots. During the preflight inspection, the pilot estimated that the fuel tanks contained 10 gallons of fuel, which he determined would be adequate for the planned flight. After completing two traffic patterns and climbing the airplane to the downwind leg of the third pattern, the engine lost power. The engine then "surged" during the subsequent forced landing.

Landing

The pilot requested an emergency landing to runway 13 but amended his request to runway 8 because the airplane was "too high." He subsequently determined that the airplane was "too low" for runway 8 and touched down hard on a taxiway. The airplane skidded to a stop in the grass infield.

Aftermath

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the cabin floor structure, but the occupants were not injured. Examination revealed that the airplane contained no fuel, and the pilot reported that he had exhausted his fuel supply.

Contributing factors

Fluid managementPilot