The two pilots were conducting multiple cross-country flights the day of the accident with the purpose of building flight time as part of an air carrier pilot development program.
The pilots departed for the fourth leg of the day and the left seat pilot was primarily flying for this leg.
Both pilots reported that while en route they noticed the fuel level was low.
Subsequently, about 15 nautical miles from the destination, the Pipistrel Virus SW’s engine lost all power.
The left seat pilot reported that the right seat pilot took control of the airplane after the loss of power.
About 600 feet above ground level (AGL) the right seat pilot deployed the ballistic parachute recovery system when it became clear that they would not be able to glide to an airport. The impact with the ground near Cross City, Florida, resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage.
Post-accident inspection of the fuel system showed no fuel visible in either wing tank and no fuel visible in the inline fuel filters.
The left seat pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause: The pilots’ inadequate preflight fuel planning and improper in-flight fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and subsequent deployment of the ballistic parachute recovery system.
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This November 2022 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Is pre-flight fuel planning now an optional extra extra ? This level of competence should require a thorough review before they are considered fit to hold private flying licenses let alone commercial ones,
Pau,
The reason for the forced landing is called air in the fuel lines .Some non aviators will buy it.
No mention if fuel was ever a discussion on 4 legs. . . was there any planning at all? Would have loved to hear the discussion when “both pilots noticed the fuel level was low”!
Stupid pilot tricks. I tell my students that they can search the dictionaries of every language on earth and will never find a word that will alibi them if they run out of gas in an airplane.
As to the shallow NTSB investigation, most GA wrecks are repetitive stupid issues and not worth taxpayers expense to forensic analyze.
Falls into the “You Couldn’t Make This Stuff Up” category. This one would almost be funny if they hadn’t wrecked a really nice Pipistrel.
This is what happens when you “measure with a micrometer and cut with an axe”…and your calculations are based on inaccurate information and known faulty equipment.
When all else fails, blame the other pilot, the flight school, the airframe manufacturer, the engine manufacturer, the FBO lineman…the Weather Channel…the credit card company…Did I miss anyone?
They clearly did not “sync up” their versions of events. I’m still not sure which one to believe?
I doubt these two “pilots” are good buddies anymore; I wonder if they rode home from Cross City on the same bus?
Yeah…I imagine they had to push back their airline interviews a bit.
(Burning five gallons while idling a ROTAX…how is that even possible?!?!)
Wow what a shallow investigation. Why was the fuel planning wrong (eg incorrect consumption figures, bad guages, bad fuel, poor maintenance, poor division of responsibilities between pilots, bad pre-flight cross of fuel, lack of flight plan card, lbs Vs kgs mixup). Literally nothing learnt from this at all.
wow, dumb and dumber, wait till Dan Grider hears about this !!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=22fThZPkiKA
It appears this pair needs more than the air carrier pilot development program. I’ll bet some air carrier concern can hardly wait to hire them!!
Let’s get ‘er up, Bubba. We don’t need no fuel plannin’
WOW, destroyed an aircraft for the lack of adding a few gallons of fuel.
2 stupid pilot’s tricks.!