NTSB CAROL · Event
Event MIA89GA082
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO ACCURATELY DETERMINE FUEL QUANTITY PRIOR TO DEPARTURE FOLLOWED BY HIS FAILURE TO OPERATE THE ENGINE ON THE FULLEST FUEL TANK RESULTING IN A FUEL TANK BEING RUN DRY RESULTING IN ENGINE FAILURE WHILE ON SHORT FINAL APPROACH AT HIS DESTINATION.
Factual narrative
THE ACFT WAS BEING FERRIED TO MELBOURNE BY A CONTRACTOR TO THE US MARSHALS SERVICE. BEFORE DEPARTURE INSPECTION AND ENGINE RUN-UP REVEALED A 500-600 RPM MAGNETO DROP; THE LEFT TANK WAS 3/4 FULL AND THE RIGHT TANK HAD APPROX 15 GALLONS OF FUEL, ACCORDING TO GAUGES. THE PLT HAD WORK DONE THAT REDUCED THE MAG DROP TO 200-250 RPM. THE PLT REPORTED THAT WHILE ON A 3-MILE FINAL TO RWY 4 AT MELBOURNE, THE ENGINE QUIT. HE SAID HE SWITCHED THE SELECTOR TO THE OTHER TANK. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES AND THE GROUND DURING A FORCED LANDING. THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS FOUND IN THE LEFT TANK POSITION. NO FUEL SYSTEM LEAKS WERE EVIDENT. FURTHER EXAMINATION REVEALED 3 OZ OF FUEL IN THE RT TANK; THE LEFT TANK CONTAINED 25 GALLONS BUT APPEARED TO BE 3/4 FULL. THE RT FUEL GAUGE WAS ACCURATE AND THE LEFT READ LOW WHEN TESTED. THE RT MAG DROP WAS 700 RPM DRG A TEST-RUN. THE RT MAG IMPULSE SPRING WAS BROKEN, ALLOWING INTERNAL TIMING TO VARY. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1989_MIA89GA082.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 (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…
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