Amateur-built SUPER SPORT I N20FB accident near Elberton, Georgia

Probable cause

The pilot’s inadequate fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

NTSB analysis

The pilot had just purchased the airplane and the accident flight was his first in it. Before the flight, the previous owner explained to the pilot that the main fuel tank was full of fuel and that the auxiliary tank contained no fuel. The pilot acknowledged the fuel state of the airplane and told the seller he "would not need" auxiliary fuel. Following an aborted takeoff attempt, the pilot departed for his home airport. The pilot advised first responders that during the flight, his “fuel quit working so he tried to prime it for his backup fuel to work.” When that did not remedy the problem, he prepared the airplane for a forced landing and subsequently impacted trees. The airplane was substantially damaged during the forced landing and the pilot was seriously injured.

A Federal Aviation Administration inspector who examined the airplane at the accident site found that only a “very small amount” of fuel remained in the main fuel tank after the accident. The estimated fuel endurance of the airplane based on the fuel reported to be onboard at the time the pilot departed, and the estimated fuel consumption reported by the previous owner, was about 2.1 hours. The time elapsed between when the airplane departed and the accident was about 2.3 hours. Given this information, it is likely that the pilot exhausted the airplane’s available fuel supply, resulting in a total loss of engine power and subsequent forced landing.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA19LA158 for the full record.