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WPR24LA162

2024-05-27 · Somerton, Arizona, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 54AZ

Current FAA registration · N918LN

Make / Model
ZENITH ZODIAC 601 HDS
Year of manufacture
2017 · 7 years old at event
Engine
AMA/EXPR UNKNOWN ENG
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20171201
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S ACB56A

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s inadequate fuel management which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the airplane reported that, during the preflight engine runup, he diverted his attention to a phone call and failed to switch the fuel selector to a fuel tank with adequate fuel. During the initial climb, the engine experienced a complete loss of power, and the pilot performed a forced landing in an agricultural field. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings 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.

  • — Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid management
  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of checklist-Pilot
  • — Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Task monitoring/vigilance-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2024_WPR24LA162.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

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