NTSB Factual Report

On March 13, 2010, about 1800 central standard time, a Cessna TU206/B airplane, N4974F, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power at Neil’s Sky Ranch Airport (O14), Ninnekah, Oklahoma. The pilot and the three passengers sustained minor injuries. The airplane was owned by Advanced Aviation, LLC and was operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and a flight plan had not been filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The airplane had departed O14 and was en route to Chickasha Municipal Airport (CHK), Chickasha, Oklahoma.

Both adult passengers reported that the purpose of the flight was to fly to CHK to get fuel and quickly return to O14 before the hours of darkness. Before the flight began, the passengers had each asked the pilot if there was enough fuel to make the trip. The pilot replied there was more than enough for the 5-minute flight. One passenger reported that the pilot did not perform any kind of preflight inspection before he got in the airplane and “fired it up”. The front seat passenger noticed during takeoff that the left fuel gauge indicated empty and the right fuel gauge indicated between one eighth to one quarter.

The airplane had departed to the south and was climbing northbound on a left downwind leg when the engine suddenly stopped. A passenger stated he heard the pilot say at that moment “we’re out of gas”. The pilot immediately headed toward the airport but impacted terrain off the edge of the runway. After the initial impact the airplane struck the upslope side of a berm and nosed over, coming to rest inverted near the east edge of the runway. The pilot was the first to exit the airplane and then assisted the injured front seat passenger who had been briefly unconscious. The pilot then assisted the two-year-old child and the adult passenger. The airplane was not equipped with shoulder harnesses for any seat. Because of the airplane’s year of manufacture shoulder harness installation was not required.

On April 12, 2010, the airplane was examined under the supervision of a Federal Aviation Administration inspector. There was substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, vertical fin, rudder, and both wings. Except for some damage to the rear engine mounts the engine was not impact damaged. A club propeller was installed to replace the damaged propeller, and the engine, still attached to the fuselage, was prepared for a test run. The engine was started using the airframe electrical system and was operated for about 10 minutes, including operation at full rated power. No preimpact anomalies were seen that would have prevented normal operation.

NTSB Probable Cause

A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, resulting from the pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection.