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GAA19CA166

2019-03-09 · Land O' Lakes, Wisconsin, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport LNL

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's improper fuel planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the subsequent total loss of engine power.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that on a previous flight the airplane had been filled and flown for about 3.8 hours, he attempted to refuel the airplane but the self-service fuel station at the departure airport "failed to dispense fuel". The tanks were "checked visually" and after calculations, he determined that there would be enough fuel to make the flight. After departing, during cruise flight, about 1,800 ft above ground level, the "engine stopped." He set the "best glide speed" toward a nearby airport. As he approached the airport, it "became apparent that they would not make the airport." He then executed a 180º turn and landed on a snow covered, frozen lake with the landing gear retracted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that, on a previous flight, the airplane had been filled with fuel and flown for about 3.8 hours. He added that he attempted to refuel the airplane for the accident flight but that the self-service fuel station at the departure airport "failed to dispense fuel." He stated that he visually checked the tanks and calculated that there would be enough fuel to make the flight. He added that, after departing, during cruise flight about 1,800 ft above ground level, the "engine stopped" and that he then set the "best glide speed" toward a nearby airport. After realizing the airplane would not reach the airport, he executed a 180º turn and landed the airplane on a snow-covered, frozen lake with the landing gear retracted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid level - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Fuel planning-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2019_GAA19CA166.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (fuel exhaustion). All research papers