Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Mankato Regional Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Mankato, Minnesota 56001
Thursday, March 20, 2003 4:40 CST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The airplane sustained substantial damage when it experienced a loss of power to both engines and executed a forced landing at night to a dirt road about 4 miles south of the airport. The Part 135 cargo flight could not depart to its scheduled destination due to weather, so it departed on a Part 91 positioning flight to another destination. While en route, the pilot notified ATC that the airplane's fuel gauges were indicating low fuel. The pilot attempted a VOR instrument approach to a nearby airport, but was unsuccessful. ATC issued the pilot radar vectors and a clearance for the ILS approach to another airport. While flying the approach, both engines lost power and the pilot executed a forced landing. The pilot reported that he requested the local fixed base operator to fuel the airplane. The pilot did not observe the airplane being refueled, nor did he receive a fuel receipt. He reported that when he preflighted the airplane, he checked the fuel tanks by feeling for fuel with his fingers. He could not feel any fuel with his finger. He checked the fuel gauges and reported that the fuel gauges read FULL. He reported that the fuel gauges would read FULL when there might be only 120 gallons of fuel, even though the fuel tanks held 156 gallons. An inspection of the fuel tanks at the accident site revealed that the wing tanks were empty, and the fuselage tank had 5 quarts of fuel. An inspection of the airplane revealed no fuel leaks. The company's Operations Manual, "Aircraft Refueling Procedures," stated: "No company aircraft will be fueled unless a pilot or other company employee, experienced in aircraft fueling, is present.…..The pilot shall determine the quantity of fuel to be added to the aircraft and that the aircraft is properly grounded."
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's inadequate preflight and not verifying the airplane had been refueled.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 3/20/2003 |
| Event Day of the Week | Thursday |
| Time of Event | 440 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Standard Time |
| Event City | Mankato |
| Event State | MINNESOTA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 56001 |
| Event Date Year | 2003 |
| Event Date Month | 3 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 441317N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0935507W |
| Event Location Airport | Mankato Regional Airport |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | MKT |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 4 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 180 |
| Airport Elevation | 1020 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 435 Central Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 360 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | MKT |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 1020 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 4 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | CST |
| Lighting Conditions | Night |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 400 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | -- |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Overcast |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 5 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 1 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 0 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 10 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 9 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29.72 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 1 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 14543 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA |
| NTSB Notification Date | Mar 20 2003 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 514 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 30 2003 8:55AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\JOHB |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | FAA-Minneapolis FSDO |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N553RA |
| NTSB Number | CHI03LA087 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | Yes |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Aero Commander |
| Aircraft Model | 500-B |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 1315-124 |
| 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 | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | -- |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Central Air Southwest |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 411 Lou Holland Dr. |
| Aircraft Owner City | Kansas City |
| Aircraft Owner State | MO |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 64116 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| 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? | -- |
| 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) | Positioning |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | DSM |
| Departure City | Des Moines |
| Departure State | IA |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 338 |
| Departure Time Zone | CST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | STP |
| Destination City | St. Paul |
| Destination State | MN |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Approach |
| Report sent to ICAO? | No |
| Evacuation occurred | No |
| Date of most recent change to record | Nov 3 2003 9:49AM |
| User who most recently changed record | SULP |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | -- |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |