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BFO91LA080

1991-09-08 · CROOM, Maryland, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport W28

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO ASSURE AN ADEQUATE FUEL SUPPLY WAS ON BOARD TO COMPLETE THE FLIGHT WHICH RESULTED IN FUEL EXHAUSTION.

Factual narrative

THE STUDENT PILOT WAS SCHEDULED TO TAKE THE PRIVATE PILOT TEST. HOWEVER, THE TEST WAS RESCHEDULED AFTER THE EXAMINER DETERMINED THAT HE WAS ABOUT 2 HOURS SHORT OF SOLO TIME. THE PILOT DECIDED TO FLY SO HE COULD FAMILIARIZE HIMSELF WITH THE AREA AND ACQUIRE THE REQUIRED FLIGHT TIME. THE PILOT VISUALLY CHECKED AND USED THE FUEL GAGE TO DETERMINE THE GAGES WERE HALF FULL. ABOUT 2 HOURS INTO THE FLIGHT, THE ENGINE BEGAN TO LOSE POWER. HE TRIED TO RESTART THE ENGINE BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL SO HE MADE A FORCED LANDING IN A FIELD. HE STATED THAT HE BELIEVED THE ENGINE LOST POWER DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1991_BFO91LA080.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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