Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Barwick Lafayette Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Copperhill, Tennessee 37317
Tuesady, February 12, 2002 15:30 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
A witness heard the airplane's engines make "sputtering" engine noises that cut out and quit prior to its impact with the wooded terrain. A sheriff's deputy who responded to the scene heard the pilot state the airplane ran out of fuel. The propeller blades of both engines displayed minor damage, and both propeller spinners were found intact and in place. No evidence of fuel odor nor fuel leakage was observed at the accident site. During examination, both engines were supplied fuel and a source of electricity. Each engine operated smoothly during testing at rpm ranging from idle to 1900.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and a subsequent collision with trees during emergency landing on unsuitable terrain
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 2/12/2002 |
| Event Day of the Week | Tuesday |
| Time of Event | 1530 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | Copperhill |
| Event State | TENNESSEE |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 37317 |
| Event Date Year | 2002 |
| Event Date Month | 2 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 350118N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0842806W |
| Event Location Airport | Barwick Lafayette |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | 9A5 |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 45.2 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 66 |
| Airport Elevation | 777 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1553 Eastern Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 96 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | CHA |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 682 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 36 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | -- |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 15 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -6 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 230 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 6 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30.1 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 677 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | METAR KCHA 122053Z 23006KT 10SM CLR 15/M06 A3010 R |
| Event Highest Injury | Serious |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| 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) | 13274 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA |
| NTSB Notification Date | Feb 12 2002 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 2310 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | May 13 2003 12:26PM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\MONR |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | Nashville FSDO - 03 |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N441WW |
| NTSB Number | ATL02LA046 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Aero Commander |
| Aircraft Model | 500U |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 500-1641-4 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 6750 |
| 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 | 7 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Oct 12 2001 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | 7703 |
| ELT Installed | Unknown |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Aircenter, Inc. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 115 Nowlin Lane, Suite 2000 |
| Aircraft Owner City | Hamilton |
| Aircraft Owner State | TN |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 37421 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | Gary Lynn Gadberry |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 1027 River Bend Rd |
| Operator City | Chattanooga |
| Operator State | TN |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 37419 |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| 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 | RHP |
| Departure City | Andrews |
| Departure State | NC |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 1430 |
| Departure Time Zone | EST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | 9A5 |
| Destination City | Lafayette |
| Destination State | GA |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Unknown |
| Report sent to ICAO? | No |
| Evacuation occurred | No |
| Date of most recent change to record | Apr 7 2003 9:04AM |
| User who most recently changed record | POWP |
| Since inspection or accident | Last Inspection |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | -- |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |