Church Point, LA, USA
N5035R
AIR TRACTOR INC AT 602
The pilot reported that, during an agricultural application flight, the engine began to surge and lose power and that the propeller did not autofeather and appeared to be locked up. He made a forced landing to an open field, and the airplane subsequently collided with trees. The pilot said he thought the airplane had plenty of fuel because he usually flew the airplane for 2 hours as recorded on the Hobbs meter before it needed more fuel but that he had only flown for 0.8 hour since fueling the airplane. However, he later stated that the airplane was starved of fuel and that he should have known the engine fuel burn and the airplane fuel capacity and should have checked the fuel during preflight. No fuel was found in the fuel tanks, no fuel leaks were found, and no fuel was found on the ground. Upon application of electrical power, the fuel gauge read "0," and the "low fuel" annunciator light illuminated. Disassembly and examination of the engine revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have caused the engine to lose power.
The pilot was spreading dry fertilizer on a wheat field. In his statement to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, he said the engine began surging and lost power. He was about 70 feet above the ground and he pulled up to about 250 feet. He made a forced landing in an open field using full flaps. The airplane slid into some trees at the end of the field. The pilot said the propeller did not auto-feather and it appeared to be locked up. The pilot said he normally flew for two hours as recorded on the Hobbs meter, but he had only been flying for 0.8 hours that day. The inspector examined the airplane and reported finding no fuel in the fuel tanks or smelling any fuel. He was no fuel leaks or any fuel on the ground. This was confirmed by the salvage recovery crew. Upon application of electrical power, the fuel gauge read "0" and the "Low Fuel" annunciator light illuminated. The engine was later disassembled and inspected by Pratt and Whitney Canada under the auspice of FAA. No mechanical anomalies were found that would be causal to the engine losing power. The pilot later submitted another statement in which he wrote: "Fuel starvation (sic) was the cause of the accident." The pilot also noted items that he should have accomplished before takeoff, including knowing the engine fuel burn, airplane fuel capacity, and dip-sticking the wing tanks.
The pilot’s improper preflight inspection and in-flight fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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