Cub Crafters CC19 N70DD accident near Hyrum, Utah

Probable cause

The pilot’s improper verification of the fuel quantity during the preflight inspection, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a subsequent loss of engine power. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s distraction due to a malfunctioning hangar door and a telephone call while preparing for the flight.

NTSB analysis

The airline transport pilot was relocating the airplane to the owner’s private ranch. The pilot stated that, before the flight, he ordered fuel for the airplane; however, when the fuel truck arrived, he checked the fuel levels using the fuel quantity sight gauges inside the airplane and “realized it was full,” so he declined to have the airplane refueled. The pilot stated that he did not visually verify the fuel levels in each fuel tank or use a dipstick. The pilot added that, before the flight, he was dealing with a malfunctioning hangar door when he received a telephone call from work. After the call ended, he conducted his preflight inspection of the airplane and again attempted to close the hangar door. When the pilot attempted to start the engine, the battery was dead, so he charged it, started the engine, and then took off.

About 45 minutes after departure, during cruise flight over mountainous terrain, the engine began to lose power. As the pilot turned the electric fuel pump on, he noticed a slight increase in power; however, shortly thereafter, the engine lost all power. The pilot initiated an off-airport landing to a nearby open area; however, when he realized that the airplane would be unable to reach it, he maneuvered toward another suitable landing area. During the landing, the airplane impacted trees and terrain before it came to rest upright, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage.

First responders and wreckage recovery company personnel independently confirmed that no fuel was recovered from the wing tanks. Recovery personnel also reported that there was no fuel in the engine inlet fuel line during disassembly. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of any preexisting mechanical malfunctions or failures with the engine or fuel system, including the fuel quantity sight gauges, that would have precluded normal operation.

It is possible that, due to the distractions that the pilot reported experiencing while preparing for the flight, he did not correctly read the fuel quantity sight gauges during the preflight inspection. It is likely that the pilot departed with insufficient fuel onboard to complete the flight, which led to a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR18LA199 for the full record.