Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Columbia Owens Downtown Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Columbia, South Carolina 29205
Wednesday, March 22, 2000 18:20 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
According to the PIC, substantiated by the widow of the passenger/pilot, the airplane fuel tanks were topped off at Orangeburg Municipal Airport, Orangeburg, South Carolina, on March 19, 2000. The PIC further stated that he flew directly home to Columbia Downtown Airport, parked, and tied down for a total fuel burn time of about 30 minutes. On March 22, 2000, the airplane took off from Columbia Downtown Airport, the PIC having radioed his intention to stay in the traffic pattern, and sustained an engine stoppage as the airplane approached the abeam position for its first landing. The airplane collided with the terrain and revealed no evidence of onboard fuel at the crash site. The engine underwent a factory test cell run, and it was unsatisfactory until factory fuel injector nozzles were substituted, at which time the engine met factory specifications. Subsequent disassembly examination of the fuel system components revealed contamination in the fuel injector servo. The fuel quantity indication system underwent factory testing and revealed the right tank system was operating erratically, which appeared to be a precrash condition.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The PIC's inadequate planning and preparation resulting in refueling not being performed and the subsequent fuel exhaustion and forced landing into trees. A factor in the accident was the erratic operation of the right fuel tank quantity indicating system.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 3/22/2000 |
| Event Day of the Week | Wednesday |
| Time of Event | 1820 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | COLUMBIA |
| Event State | SOUTH CAROLINA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 29205 |
| Event Date Year | 2000 |
| Event Date Month | 3 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | -- |
| Event Location Longitude | -- |
| Event Location Airport | COLUMBIA OWENS DOWNTOWN |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | CUB |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 1 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 130 |
| Airport Elevation | 194 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1835 Eastern Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 130 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | CUB |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 194 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 1 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EST |
| Lighting Conditions | Dusk |
| 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) | 20 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 8 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Variable |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 5 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 351 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Mar 22 2000 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1910 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Apr 9 2001 8:55AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N1556H |
| NTSB Number | MIA00FA117 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Cessna |
| Aircraft Model | 177RG |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 177RG |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 177RG0730 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2800 |
| 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 | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Sep 9 1999 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 24 |
| Airframe Hours | 1623 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | AIRCRAFT HOLDING CO. LLC |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 3045 BEECHAVEN RD. |
| Aircraft Owner City | COLUMBIA |
| Aircraft Owner State | SC |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 29204 |
| 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 | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | CUB |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1810 |
| Departure Time Zone | EST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | -- |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Apr 9 2001 8:55AM |
| 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 | -- |