Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Gunnison, Colorado 81230
Wednesday, August 23, 1995 12:17 MDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE AIRPLANE WAS SERVICED TO CAPACITY (130 GALLONS) ON THE EVENING BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, AND THE PILOT FLEW APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES DOING TOUCH-AND-GO LANDINGS. HE DEPARTED BANNING, CALIFORNIA, AT 0600 PDT, EN ROUTE TO BUENA VISTA, COLORADO. UNFAVORABLE WEATHER FORCED THE PILOT TO APPROACH ALAMOSA, COLORADO, FROM THE SOUTHWEST, AND HE TURNED UP THE WRONG VALLEY. INSTEAD OF HEADING TOWARDS BUENA VISTA, HE WAS HEADING TOWARDS GUNNISON, COLORADO. THE PILOT ELECTED TO CONTINUE TO GUNNISON. DURING THE DESCENT, BOTH ENGINES LOST POWER. THE PILOT MADE A FORCED LANDING ON U.S. 50, BUT HAD TO SWERVE OFF THE HIGHWAY TO AVOID AN ONCOMING VEHICLE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT RECEIVED THE FIRST CALL THAT AN AIRPLANE WAS DOWN AT 1217 MDT. THEY REPORTED FINDING LITTLE EVIDENCE OF FUEL IN THE FUEL TANKS. FLIGHT DURATION WAS APPROXIMATELY 5 HOURS, 17 MINUTES. THE PILOT SAID THE FUEL FLOW GAUGES INDICATED 16 GALLONS PER HOUR IN CRUISE FLIGHT. ACCORDING TO THE CESSNA AIRCRAFT COMPANY, FUEL CONSUMPTION SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABOUT 25 GALLONS PER HOUR. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HIS FUEL GUAGES SHOWED 15 GALLONS IN EACH MAIN TANK WHEN THE POWER LOSS OCCURRED.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
FUEL EXHAUSTION INDUCED POWER LOSS DUE TO THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO REFUEL. A FACTOR WAS HIS DISORIENTATION.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 8/23/1995 |
| Event Day of the Week | Wednesday |
| Time of Event | 1217 |
| Event Time Zone | Mountain Daylight Time |
| Event City | GUNNISON |
| Event State | COLORADO |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 81230 |
| Event Date Year | 1995 |
| Event Date Month | 8 |
| 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 | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1215 Mountain Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 360 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | GUC |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 7673 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 1 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | MDT |
| 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) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 21 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 8 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 190 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 4 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 9503 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Minor |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | 1 |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 592 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Aug 23 1995 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1300 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 7 2000 4:30PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N5720X |
| NTSB Number | FTW95LA372 |
| 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 | CESSNA |
| Aircraft Model | 320 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 320 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 320-0020 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 5200 |
| 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 | 6 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 5 |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | MARTINA A. ALGIN |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | BOX 1126 |
| Aircraft Owner City | BUENA VISTA |
| Aircraft Owner State | CO |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 81211 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| 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 | BNG |
| Departure City | BANNING |
| Departure State | CA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 600 |
| Departure Time Zone | PDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | GUC |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | CO |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Emergency landing |
| 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 | -- |