Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Stovepipe Wells, California 92328
Tuesady, May 11, 1999 16:30 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The pilot/mechanic who overhauled the accident airplane engine was to remove it from the airplane, located on a highway in a remote desert area, to correct some discrepancies, which had caused the owner's pilot to make a precautionary landing. The mechanic chose to fly the airplane to another state where his shop is located. En route to a fuel source he landed on a road for directions. Subsequently, he arrived at the fuel source and had less than a gallon remaining. His next planned fuel stop was about 75 miles away. In the pilot's written statement he said he remembered noticing the fuel gauges reading low as he was flying low over sand dunes. The engine lost power, he turned on the boost pump, and the engine regained power momentarily. The aircraft then collided with sand dunes in the Death Valley National Park. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane and he had run it out of fuel. The accident site is about 195 miles from the departure point on a heading about 90 degrees from the pilot's intended course line.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
fuel exhaustion resulting from the pilot becoming lost and disoriented on a cross-country flight.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 5/11/1999 |
| Event Day of the Week | Tuesday |
| Time of Event | 1630 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | STOVEPIPE WELLS |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 92328 |
| Event Date Year | 1999 |
| Event Date Month | 5 |
| 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 | Witness |
| 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) | 20 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 32 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Light and Variable |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Serious |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1256 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | May 12 1999 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1350 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 10 2001 10:04AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N9603J |
| NTSB Number | LAX99LA182 |
| 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 | T188C |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | T188C |
| Aircraft Serial Number | T18803826T |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 4400 |
| 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 | 1 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Dec 10 1998 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 10 |
| Airframe Hours | 2291 |
| ELT Installed | Unknown |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | CHISENHALL AG SERVICE, INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 18200 COUNTY ROAD 28 |
| Aircraft Owner City | FOLEY |
| Aircraft Owner State | AL |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 36535 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | RICHARD G. SNOVER |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 3012 HALLADAY |
| Operator City | SANTA ANA |
| Operator State | CA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 92705 |
| 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 | 0L9 |
| Departure City | OVERTON |
| Departure State | NV |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1430 |
| Departure Time Zone | PDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | 0L7 |
| Destination City | JEAN |
| Destination State | NV |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | -- |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 10 2001 12:27PM |
| 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 | -- |