NTSB CAROL · Event
Event CEN11LA041
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s failure to ensure adequate fuel on board and subsequent failure to maintain airplane control following an engine failure due to fuel exhaustion.
Factual narrative
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On October 27, 2010, about 1600 central daylight time, a Donegan Benton Kitfox II experimental airplane, N8700T, was substantially damaged after impacting terrain while departing Elm Creek Airpark (0TX6), Seguin, Texas. The private pilot was fatally injured. The local flight was being conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. A witness observed the airplane climb out after takeoff. While still at a low altitude, just over a set of power lines, the airplane was seen to bank to the right, enter a spin, and impact the ground near vertical. The witness responded to the scene and reported smelling fuel, but did not see any fuel dripping from the wreckage.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
The pilot, age 69, held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land. His last third class medical certificate was issued on October 16, 2006. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported the pilot had approximately 2,200 total flight hours. The pilot’s flight logbooks were not located during the investigation.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The homebuilt airplane was of a high wing, two-seat, tailwheel configuration with steel frame and fabric construction. The airplane was powered by a Rotax 582UL two-cycle engine rated at 65 horsepower, driving a GCS Systems N750 three-bladed propeller.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
Weather observations at 1551 at New Braunfels (KBAZ), Texas, about 15 miles northwest of the accident site, recorded winds calm, clear skies, visibility seven miles, temperature 88 degrees Fahrenheit (F), and dew point 65 degrees F.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The airplane was examined on scene by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector. He reported both wings were damaged, the landing gear were crushed, and the fuselage was twisted. One propeller blade was damaged and folded under the wreckage. The remaining two blades were undamaged and there was no evidence of rotational impact damage found on the propeller assembly. The engine was pushed back and to the airplane’s right. The fuel lines, gascolator fuel filter, and carburetor bowl were examined and no fuel was found.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
Central Texas Autopsy, PLLC, located in Lockhart, Texas, performed an autopsy on the pilot on October 29, 2010. The cause of death was attributed to multiple traumatic injuries. The FAA, Toxicology Accident Research Laboratory, located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, conducted toxicological testing on the pilot. Testing for carbon monoxide and cyanide were negative. No volatiles or drugs were detected. Witnesses observed the airplane climb after takeoff. While still at a low altitude, the airplane was seen to bank to the right, enter a spin, and impact the ground in a near vertical attitude. Witnesses who responded to the scene reported smelling fuel but did not see any fuel dripping from the wreckage. The fuel lines, fuel filter, and fuel bowl were examined and no fuel was found. The lack of fuel combined with no evidence of propeller rotation during impact is consistent with a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- C Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Fuel planning-Pilot - C
- C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2010_CEN11LA041.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (fuel exhaustion, engine failure). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- arXiv 2022 · arXiv preprint
Multi-level Adaptation for Automatic Landing with Engine Failure under Turbulent Weather
This paper addresses efficient feasibility evaluation of possible emergency landing sites, online navigation, and path following for automatic landing under engine-out failure subject to turbulent wea…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper
Simulation of Liquid Rocket Engine Failure Propagation Using Self-Evolving Scenarios
Traditional probabilistic risk assessment approaches often require failure scenarios to be explicitly defined through event sequences that are then quantified as part of the integrated analysis.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper
Rocket engine failure detection using system identification techiques
The theoretical foundation and application of two univariate failure detection algorithms to Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) test firing data is presented.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper
Rocket engine failure detection using system identification techniques
The theoretical foundation and application of two univariate failure detection algorithms to Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) test firing data is presented.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM)
A simulator investigation of engine failure compensation for powered-lift STOL aircraft
A piloted simulator investigation of various engine failure compensation concepts for powered-lift STOL aircraft was carried out at the Ames Research Center.
- Semantic Scholar 2019 · Article (AIAA Scitech 2019 Forum)
Impact of Engine Failure Constraints on the Initial Sizing of Hybrid-Electric GA Aircraft
Potential advantages of hybrid-electric aircraft are fuel savings, lower emissions, and reduced noise. Since these aircraft generally apply multiple power sources, they can also be designed to sustain…
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗