Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Gainesville, Georgia 30502
Friday, August 25, 1989 17:07 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE AIRPLANE ENGINE EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF POWER DURING FINAL APPROACH, AND THE AIRPLANE SUBSEQUENTLY CRASHED INTO TREES SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. THE STUDENT PLT WAS ON A LOCAL, UNSUPERVISED SOLO FLT AND HAD CONDUCTED SEVERAL T&G LDGS PRIOR TO THE POWER LOSS. TOTAL FLT TIME THIS FLT WAS ABOUT 1 HOUR. THE OPERATOR REPORTED THAT POST-CRASH EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED NO FUEL REMAINING IN THE FUEL TANKS. THE OPERATOR NOTED THAT THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN OPERATED A TOTAL OF 4.6 HRS SINCE LAST REFUELING. HE ALSO NOTED THAT THE PLT WHO HAD FLOWN THE AIRPLANE ON THE PREVIOUS FLT REPORTED THAT AT THE END OF THE FLT, THE LT & RT FUEL QTY GAUGES RESPECTIVELY INDICATED 5 GALLONS & LESS THAN 5 GALLONS REMAINING. THE STUDENT PLT REPORTED THAT HE HAD ESTIMATED THE TANKS WERE ABOUT 1/2 FULL WHEN HE PREFLIGHTED THE AIRPLANE PRIOR TO THIS FLIGHT.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
THE PILOT'S MISJUDGEMENT OF THE AIRPLANE FUEL SUPPLY DURING PREFLIGHT INSPECTION, AND HIS SUBSEQUENT FAILURE TO MONITOR IN-FLIGHT FUEL CONSUMPTION, WHICH LED TO AN ENGINE POWER LOSS DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE PILOT'S DECISION NOT TO REFUEL THE AIRPLANE PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT, AND HIS LACK OF TOTAL FLIGHT EXPERIENCE.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 8/25/1989 |
| Event Day of the Week | Friday |
| Time of Event | 1707 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | GAINESVILLE |
| Event State | GEORGIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 30502 |
| Event Date Year | 1989 |
| Event Date Month | 8 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | LEE GILMER MEMORIAL |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | GVL |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | 1275 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1650 Eastern Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 126 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | AHN |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 807 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 32 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 4000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| 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) | -18 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -18 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 320 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 7 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 0 |
| 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 | 1 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2001 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Aug 26 1989 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1800 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 41197 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 18 2002 11:28AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\GIUV |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N2487N |
| NTSB Number | ATL89LA202 |
| 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 | PIPER |
| Aircraft Model | PA-38-112 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | PA-38-112 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 38-79A0870 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1670 |
| 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 | Unknown |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 0 |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | |
| Aircraft Owner City | |
| Aircraft Owner State | |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | BELLE ISLE INT'L ACFT SALES |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 2 AVIATION WAY |
| Operator City | GAINESVILLE |
| Operator State | GA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 30501 |
| 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) | Instructional |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1600 |
| Departure Time Zone | EDT |
| 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 | Landing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:35AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 29 |
| Runway Length | 4001 |
| Runway Width | 100 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |