1 Jun 2023: PROGRESSIVE AERODYNE INC SEAREY LSA

1 Jun 2023: PROGRESSIVE AERODYNE INC SEAREY LSA (N316SR) — Unknown operator

No fatalities • Detroit, MI, United States

Probable cause

A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion that resulted from the pilots’ inadequate preflight planning.

— NTSB Determination

Accident narrative

On May 31, 2023, about 2030 eastern daylight time, a Progressive Aerodyne Inc Searey LSA, N316SR, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Detroit, Michigan. The pilot and certificated flight instructor were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The airplane was inbound for landing at the Coleman A Young Municipal Airport (DET), Detroit, Michigan, and the pilot was instructed to report a 2-mile left base for runway 15. The tower controller radioed for a progress report and received no response. The pilot later called the tower to report that the airplane’s engine lost power and he landed in a residential neighborhood between two garages. During the forced landing the airplane struck trees, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot/owner stated that the airplane had not flown since October 2020, and he had the mechanic that had constructed the airplane perform a condition inspection that was completed on May 26, 2023. The accident flight was an “instruction/currency” flight with a flight instructor. According to the pilot’s report, the flight originated about 1800. During the return portion of the flight, about 7 miles from the airport, they contacted the DET air traffic control and were advised to expect a visual approach for runway 15. Shortly afterward the airplane’s engine stopped producing power. Attempts to restart the engine were not successful. The restart attempts included activating the auxiliary fuel pump. He noted that he glanced at the fuel gauge and it indicated ¼ full. During the restart attempts the flight instructor assumed control of the airplane while the pilot attempted to restart the engine. Automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast (ADS-B) data recorded the airplane when it departed DET at 1730 and the final position was recorded at 2030, indicating that the airplane was aloft for 3 hours. Examination of the airplane after the accident revealed that only a trace amount of fuel was visible in the semi-transparent plastic fuel tank; the tank did not appear to be breached. After the airplane was removed from the accident site and leveled on a trailer used for recovery the fuel gauge read empty. A subsequent engine run was performed where fuel was added to the tank and the engine started. The engine was operated from idle to full throttle and no anomalies were detected during the engine run.

Contributing factors

  • Flight crew
  • Fluid level

Conditions

Weather
VMC, wind 120/05kt, 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.