4 Mar 2016: ARIOSTO JAMES J ARIOSTO MUSTANG II

4 Mar 2016: ARIOSTO JAMES J ARIOSTO MUSTANG II (N12JA) — Unknown operator

No fatalities • Normangee, TX, United States

Probable cause

A total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of the pilot's improper fuel selector positioning procedures during the flight.

— NTSB Determination

Accident narrative

On March 4, 2016, at 1230 central standard time, an Ariosto Mustang II experimental airplane, N12JA, impacted terrain following a loss of engine power near Normangee, Texas. The private pilot sustained serious injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The local flight departed at an unknown time.

According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who interviewed the pilot, the pilot was attempting to change the fuel draw from the left to right fuel tank, but starved the engine of fuel in the change process due to a new modification in the fuel system. The pilot reported no problems with the engine prior to the loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. The pilot stated the engine lost power due to improper procedures completed by him while switching fuel tanks.

Examination of the accident site by the FAA inspector revealed the airplane impacted terrain in a left wing, nose low attitude. The airplane came to rest upright in a field that was surrounded by trees. The engine and firewall were separated from the fuselage. The left wing fuel tank was compromised and right wing fuel tank contained an unknown amount of fuel. One propeller blade remained attached to the hub and no damage was noted, and one propeller blade was separated near the hub.

Contributing factors

  • cause Incorrect use/operation
  • cause Fluid management

Conditions

Weather
VMC, wind 110/03kt, vis 10sm

Loading the flight search…

What you can do on Flight Finder

  • Search flights between any two airports with live fares.
  • By aircraft — pick a plane model (e.g. Boeing 787, Airbus A350) and see every route it flies from your origin.
  • Route map — click any airport worldwide to explore its destinations, or draw a radius to find nearby airports.
  • Global aviation safety — aviation accident database, 5,200+ records since 1980, with map and rankings by aircraft and operator.
  • NTSB safety feed — recent U.S. aviation accidents and incidents from the official NTSB CAROL database, updated daily.

Frequently asked questions

How do I search flights by aircraft type on FlightFinder?

Pick an aircraft model — Boeing 737, Airbus A320, A380, Boeing 787 Dreamliner and more — enter your origin airport, and FlightFinder shows every route that plane flies from there with live fares.

Which aircraft types can I filter by?

We support Boeing 737/747/757/767/777/787, the full Airbus A220/A319/A320/A321/A330/A340/A350/A380 family, Embraer E170/E175/E190/E195, Bombardier CRJ and Dash 8, and the ATR 42/72 turboprops.

Is FlightFinder free to use?

Search and schedules are free. Pro ($4.99/month, $39/year, or $99 one-time lifetime) unlocks the enriched flight card — on-time stats, CO₂ per passenger, amenities, live gate & weather — plus My Trips with push alerts.

Where does the route data come from?

Live schedules come from Amadeus, AeroDataBox and Travelpayouts. Observed routes (which aircraft actually flew a given city pair) are crowdsourced from adsb.lol ADS-B data under the Open Database License.