Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Bishop, California 93514
Friday, February 11, 1994 17:40 PST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE PILOT SAID HE DEPARTED AT 1455 WITH FULL FUEL, AND WITH THE LEFT TANK SELECTED. AT 1610 HOURS, HE SWITCHED TO THE RIGHT FUEL TANK WHEN THE GAUGE FOR THE LEFT INDICATED ONE-QUARTER. ONE HOUR 10 MINUTES LATER, THE PILOT SWITCHED BACK TO THE LEFT FUEL TANK AND THE ENGINE QUIT. THE PILOT TURNED ON THE ELECTRIC BOOST PUMP AND SWITCHED BACK TO THE RIGHT TANK; THE ENGINE RAN FOR A FEW MINUTES, THEN QUIT AGAIN. THE PILOT TURNED TOWARD AN AIRPORT 12 MILES AWAY, BUT THE AIRCRAFT HAD INSUFFICIENT ALTITUDE TO REACH THE AIRPORT AND THE PILOT LANDED IN A FIELD. THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED SOFT SOIL AND NOSED OVER. NO FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE AIRCRAFT TANKS. THE SOIL BENEATH THE AIRCRAFT WAS EXAMINED, WITH NO ODOR OF FUEL EVIDENT. THE FUEL SYSTEM WAS EXAMINED BY A MECHANIC WITH NO SYSTEM DISCREPANCIES NOTED. NO FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE FUEL LINES FROM THE WING ROOT TO THE FUEL SELECTOR, AND ONLY RESIDUAL FUEL WAS NOTED IN THE FUEL LINE FROM THE SELECTOR VALVE TO THE ELECTRIC BOOST PUMP.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's inadequate preflight planning and en route fuel consumption monitoring.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 2/11/1994 |
| Event Day of the Week | Friday |
| Time of Event | 1740 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Standard Time |
| Event City | BISHOP |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 93514 |
| Event Date Year | 1994 |
| Event Date Month | 2 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Pilot |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 30 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 7 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 350 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 15 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 2 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 206 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Feb 11 1994 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1840 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 6 2000 10:41AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N9614U |
| NTSB Number | LAX94LA121 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | GRUMMAN |
| Aircraft Model | AA-1A |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | AA-1A |
| Aircraft Serial Number | AAIC-OO72 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1600 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Mar 11 1993 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 50 |
| Airframe Hours | 4415 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | BERMUDA DUNES AIR SERVICE |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 79 880 AVE 42 |
| Aircraft Owner City | BURMUDA DUNES |
| Aircraft Owner State | CA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 92201 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | CHARLES H. THOMAS |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 661 PALMERA AVENUE |
| Operator City | PAC. PALISADES |
| Operator State | CA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 90272 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | SMO |
| Departure City | SANTA MONICA |
| Departure State | CA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1455 |
| Departure Time Zone | PST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | MMH |
| Destination City | MAMMOTH LAKES |
| Destination State | CA |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |