Private pilot of an small aircraft sel makes a forced landing on the airport after the engine quit d...

Narrative:

Feb/sun/96, 2 weeks after the incident, I had planned a return trip to payson. Upon renting the plane the receptionist at the airport told me that the day before, feb/sat/96, a squawk sheet was filled out stating communication #1 had failed in-flight, but the problem had been corrected earlier that morning. Before my flight, I had my tanks topped off. During my preflight, I discovered the master switch had been left on, resulting in a dead battery. Later it was discovered that an airport mechanic that had worked on the radio left it on. Another airport mechanic came out and propped the plane for me and jumped it in the rear to energize the alternator (all seemed normal). I left glendale airport en route to payson at approximately XA00 am. About 20 mi outside payson I switched to the left tank, about 10 mi from payson I radioed payson for airport advisory. I received xmissions fine and then transmitted my acknowledgement, still everything seemed fine. About 5 mi from the airport I started to transmit my location and report my entering airspace. At this time both communication #1 and communication #2 both went dead. I immediately turned out of airspace and began to troubleshoot the situation and found that my alternator breaker was popped. I pushed the breaker back in and noticed that all electrical was out. I turned off all unnecessary electrical and proceeded back to glendale. During our flight back it was my better judgement not to switch to the right fuel tank, without a fuel pump booster to assure proper switching and the possibility of starving the engine of fuel. Upon our return the winds had picked up to 16 KTS gusting to 25 KTS blowing 90 degrees to the runway. I circled the control tower for a green light for landing. After circling the tower several times, the engine sputtered and quit. I set myself up for an emergency landing and tried to land on the runway, but with wind conditions as they were, the best I could do was the taxiway. I landed the plane safely and without incident. As to date I have not been informed by glendale airport of the mechanical problem resulting in this incident. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that he was not comfortable with continuing the flight after the aircraft battery was found dead, but that the mechanic that propped the aircraft to get it started and then energized the alternator to start charging the battery, said that everything would be ok. After the reporter made his forced dead stick landing, the FBO manager complained that the reporter did not switch tanks earlier before the engine stopped. When the reporter said that he did not want to try since he would not have any electrical power to run the fuel boost pump, the FBO manager said that the engine may have run without it working! The FBO wanted the reporter to pay for the unsuccessful flight. The reporter feels like it was enough that he got the aircraft down ok. The FBO also advised him to just look the traffic pattern over and land whenever the radio is not working rather than attempt to receive lights from the tower as he had done.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PVT PLT OF AN SMA SEL MAKES A FORCED LNDG ON THE ARPT AFTER THE ENG QUIT DUE TO FUEL STARVATION AND A PREVIOUS LOSS OF ALL ELECTRICAL PWR, CIRCLING THE TWR FOR LIGHT SIGNALS DID NOT WORK BEFORE THE RPTR HAD TO LAND WHEN THE ENG QUIT.

Narrative: FEB/SUN/96, 2 WKS AFTER THE INCIDENT, I HAD PLANNED A RETURN TRIP TO PAYSON. UPON RENTING THE PLANE THE RECEPTIONIST AT THE ARPT TOLD ME THAT THE DAY BEFORE, FEB/SAT/96, A SQUAWK SHEET WAS FILLED OUT STATING COM #1 HAD FAILED INFLT, BUT THE PROB HAD BEEN CORRECTED EARLIER THAT MORNING. BEFORE MY FLT, I HAD MY TANKS TOPPED OFF. DURING MY PREFLT, I DISCOVERED THE MASTER SWITCH HAD BEEN LEFT ON, RESULTING IN A DEAD BATTERY. LATER IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT AN ARPT MECH THAT HAD WORKED ON THE RADIO LEFT IT ON. ANOTHER ARPT MECH CAME OUT AND PROPPED THE PLANE FOR ME AND JUMPED IT IN THE REAR TO ENERGIZE THE ALTERNATOR (ALL SEEMED NORMAL). I LEFT GLENDALE ARPT ENRTE TO PAYSON AT APPROX XA00 AM. ABOUT 20 MI OUTSIDE PAYSON I SWITCHED TO THE L TANK, ABOUT 10 MI FROM PAYSON I RADIOED PAYSON FOR ARPT ADVISORY. I RECEIVED XMISSIONS FINE AND THEN XMITTED MY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, STILL EVERYTHING SEEMED FINE. ABOUT 5 MI FROM THE ARPT I STARTED TO XMIT MY LOCATION AND RPT MY ENTERING AIRSPACE. AT THIS TIME BOTH COM #1 AND COM #2 BOTH WENT DEAD. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED OUT OF AIRSPACE AND BEGAN TO TROUBLESHOOT THE SIT AND FOUND THAT MY ALTERNATOR BREAKER WAS POPPED. I PUSHED THE BREAKER BACK IN AND NOTICED THAT ALL ELECTRICAL WAS OUT. I TURNED OFF ALL UNNECESSARY ELECTRICAL AND PROCEEDED BACK TO GLENDALE. DURING OUR FLT BACK IT WAS MY BETTER JUDGEMENT NOT TO SWITCH TO THE R FUEL TANK, WITHOUT A FUEL PUMP BOOSTER TO ASSURE PROPER SWITCHING AND THE POSSIBILITY OF STARVING THE ENG OF FUEL. UPON OUR RETURN THE WINDS HAD PICKED UP TO 16 KTS GUSTING TO 25 KTS BLOWING 90 DEGS TO THE RWY. I CIRCLED THE CTL TWR FOR A GREEN LIGHT FOR LNDG. AFTER CIRCLING THE TWR SEVERAL TIMES, THE ENG SPUTTERED AND QUIT. I SET MYSELF UP FOR AN EMER LNDG AND TRIED TO LAND ON THE RWY, BUT WITH WIND CONDITIONS AS THEY WERE, THE BEST I COULD DO WAS THE TXWY. I LANDED THE PLANE SAFELY AND WITHOUT INCIDENT. AS TO DATE I HAVE NOT BEEN INFORMED BY GLENDALE ARPT OF THE MECHANICAL PROB RESULTING IN THIS INCIDENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT HE WAS NOT COMFORTABLE WITH CONTINUING THE FLT AFTER THE ACFT BATTERY WAS FOUND DEAD, BUT THAT THE MECH THAT PROPPED THE ACFT TO GET IT STARTED AND THEN ENERGIZED THE ALTERNATOR TO START CHARGING THE BATTERY, SAID THAT EVERYTHING WOULD BE OK. AFTER THE RPTR MADE HIS FORCED DEAD STICK LNDG, THE FBO MGR COMPLAINED THAT THE RPTR DID NOT SWITCH TANKS EARLIER BEFORE THE ENG STOPPED. WHEN THE RPTR SAID THAT HE DID NOT WANT TO TRY SINCE HE WOULD NOT HAVE ANY ELECTRICAL PWR TO RUN THE FUEL BOOST PUMP, THE FBO MGR SAID THAT THE ENG MAY HAVE RUN WITHOUT IT WORKING! THE FBO WANTED THE RPTR TO PAY FOR THE UNSUCCESSFUL FLT. THE RPTR FEELS LIKE IT WAS ENOUGH THAT HE GOT THE ACFT DOWN OK. THE FBO ALSO ADVISED HIM TO JUST LOOK THE TFC PATTERN OVER AND LAND WHENEVER THE RADIO IS NOT WORKING RATHER THAN ATTEMPT TO RECEIVE LIGHTS FROM THE TWR AS HE HAD DONE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

Attributes
ACN	328913
Time
Date	199602
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : geu
State Reference	AZ
Altitude	msl bound lower : 2500 msl bound upper : 2500
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : geu
Operator	general aviation : instructional
Make Model Name	Small Aircraft, Low Wing, 1 Eng, Fixed Gear
Flight Phase	cruise other other
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : private
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 10 flight time total : 195 flight time type : 40
ASRS Report	328913
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : local
Qualification	controller : non radar
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical other anomaly other
Independent Detector	aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : unspecified other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : declared emergency other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft

Private pilot of an small aircraft sel makes a forced landing on the airport after the engine quit due to fuel starvation and a previous loss of all electrical power, circling the tower for light signals did not work before the reporter had to land when the engine quit.