Fuel exhaustion: Cessna 336 Skymaster, N336LV, fatal accident occurred on October 13, 2024, in Savannah, Georgia

• Location: Savannah, Georgia 
• Accident Number: ERA25FA008 
• Date & Time: October 13, 2024, 21:42 Local 
• Registration: N336LV 
• Aircraft: Cessna 336 
• Aircraft Damage: Substantial
• Defining Event: Fuel exhaustion 
• Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Minor 
• Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/195304/pdf

https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=195304

On October 13, 2024, about 2142 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 336 airplane, N336LV, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Savannah, Georgia. The commercial pilot was fatally injured, and the pilot-rated passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot purchased the airplane on the day of the accident. Before the purchase, the previous owner requested that the airplane be topped off with fuel, and a receipt showed that 48.6 gallons were added to the airplane. The accident pilot then completed an approximate 40-minute evaluation flight with a flight instructor. A fuel receipt indicated that an additional 21 gallons of fuel were added to the airplane after that flight and before departure on the accident flight, but the records did not show how the fuel was distributed.

The pilot-rated passenger reported that he and the pilot departed on the first of a planned three-leg flight from the purchase location in Florida to New Jersey. About 2.5 to 3 hours into the first leg, the pilot switched the fuel selectors from the main fuel tanks to the auxiliary tanks. During the descent toward the first planned intermediate airport, the pilot requested to proceed directly to the airport “for fuel purposes.” Shortly thereafter, one engine lost power, followed by the second engine. The pilot declared an emergency, but was unable to reach the destination airport or a closer military airfield, and the airplane subsequently impacted trees and terrain.

Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that both main fuel tanks were breached. Both auxiliary fuel tanks were intact; no fuel was observed in the right wing auxiliary fuel tank and less than 1 cup of fuel was observed in the left wing auxiliary tank. The front engine fuel selector was positioned to the auxiliary tank, and the rear engine fuel selector was positioned to the right main tank. No fuel was found in either engine's fuel manifold or fuel lines. Examination of both engines found no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The before landing checklist stated that the main fuel tanks should be selected for landing.

According to ADS-B flight track data, the total duration of the accident flight was about 3 hours, 26 minutes. The airplane had a total usable fuel capacity of 128 gallons and consumed an estimated 21 gallons of fuel per hour at the accident flight's enroute cruise altitude at a 75% power setting; however, the airplane's total fuel quantity and its distribution among the four fuel tanks at the time of departure could not be determined.

Given the pilot's reported concern about the airplane's fuel state to the controller while descending toward the airport, it is likely he was aware that exhaustion of the airplane's onboard fuel supply was imminent. The subsequent total loss of power from both engines, the lack of fuel in the fuel distribution systems, and the absence of mechanical anomalies with either engine, are consistent with fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's inadequate fuel planning.

- Probable Cause: The pilot's inadequate fuel planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a total loss of engine power to both engines.

Flight control sys malf/fail: Boeing 737 MAX 8, N8825Q, accident occurred on May 25, 2024, near Oakland, California

• Location: Oakland, California
• Accident Number: DCA24LA206 
• Date & Time: May 25, 2024, 07:44 Local
• Registration: N8825Q 
• Aircraft: Boeing 737-8 
• Aircraft Damage: Substantial 
• Defining Event: Flight control sys malf/fail 
• Injuries: 181 None 
• Flight Conducted Under: Part 121: Air carrier - Scheduled

https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/194423/pdf

https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=194423

On May 25, 2024, about 0744 Pacific daylight time, SWA flight 746, a Boeing 737-8, N8825Q, experienced a rudder control system anomaly in flight. SWA flight 746 was operating under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 as a scheduled domestic passenger flight from PHX to OAK. The 6 crew members and 175 passengers were uninjured. SWA flight 746 continued to its destination and landed without incident.

Southwest Airlines (SWA) flight 746 experienced a rudder control system anomaly during flight between Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), Phoenix, Arizona and Metro Oakland International Airport (OAK), Oakland, California. The captain stated, shortly after reaching their cruise altitude and while flying through light turbulence, the airplane began to experience “a small amount of Dutch roll.” The oscillations lasted a few seconds and the autopilot remained engaged throughout the event.

The first officer (FO) characterized the event as a “strange movement of the tail of the airplane back and forth, coupled with very slight rudder movement left and right.” The flight crew discussed the event and noted that they felt the rudder pedals move during the oscillations. The flight crew deduced that the oscillations were not caused by turbulence but rather by the airplane. SWA flight 746 continued to OAK and landed without incident. Postlanding inspection found damage to include the vertical stabilizer trailing edge ribs, both above and below the standby rudder power control unit (PCU).

On the evening of May 16, 2024, the accident airplane was parked overnight at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY), New Orleans, Louisiana. Overnight, thunderstorms at MSY generated high winds with gusts up to 73 kts. The Boeing 737 rudder system does not incorporate a gust-lock function. It is likely that these high winds resulted in movement of the rudder that damaged the vertical stabilizer ribs to which the standby rudder PCU was connected.

At the time of the accident, the Boeing 737 aircraft maintenance manual conditional inspection for parked or moored airplanes that experienced an extreme high wind event lacked a defined wind threshold for requiring the conditional inspection to be performed. Additionally, SWA did not have a process in place to notify maintenance control for when their parked aircraft may have experienced an extreme high wind event. Therefore, the conditional inspection for extreme high wind events, which could have detected structural damage to the vertical stabilizer, was not accomplished after the thunderstorms. The accident airplane resumed flying the next morning.

Between May 17 to 23, 2024, the accident airplane flew a total of 38 flights with no reported anomalies of the rudder control system. Therefore, the damaged vertical stabilizer ribs remained undetected for these flights. The airplane underwent scheduled maintenance inspections on the evening of May 23, 2024. These inspections included an operational test of the standby hydraulic system.

The damage to the vertical stabilizer trailing edge ribs, to which the standby rudder PCU was attached, that existed at the time of this operational test would have revealed itself as a rudder that would not return to its neutral position. However, contrary to the required procedure, SWA maintenance personnel did not visually confirm the rudder position during this operational test.

Nonetheless, SWA maintenance signed off that the accident airplane passed the operational test of the standby hydraulic system, and the airplane was released for flight. As a result, the damage to the vertical stabilizer remained undetected. Investigators could not determine if the existing vertical stabilizer rib damage was further damaged during this maintenance activity.

On May 24, 2024, during the accident airplane's fourth flight of the day, the damaged vertical stabilizer ribs exhibited the first operational symptoms in which that flight crew believed the yaw damper had malfunctioned. The accident airplane subsequently flew another flight on May 24, 2024, with the yaw damper disabled. Flight 746 was the first flight the next day.

- Probable Cause: Damage to the standby rudder power control unit connection to the vertical fin due to an extreme high wind event while the airplane was parked, which remained undetected and resulted in anomalous operation of the standby rudder power control unit. Contributing to the nondetection of the damage was 1) the improper accomplishment of the standby hydraulic system operational test by Southwest Airlines maintenance personnel; 2) the lack of a defined wind speed threshold, in the Boeing 737 aircraft maintenance manual, to perform the extreme high wind conditional inspection for parked and moored aircraft; and 3) the absence of an adequate process at Southwest Airlines to notify maintenance control when parked aircraft experience an extreme high wind event that may require the relevant conditional inspection.

Ground collision: Airbus A350-941, N503DN, and Bombardier CRJ-900LR, N302PQ, accident occurred on September 10, 2024, at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL/KATL), Atlanta, Georgia

• Location: College Park, Georgia 
• Accident Number: DCA24FA299 
• Date & Time: September 10, 2024, 10:07 Local 
• Registration: N503DN (A1); N302PQ (A2) 
• Aircraft: Airbus A350-941 (A1); BOMBARDIER INC CL-600-2D24 (A2) 
• Aircraft Damage: Minor (A1); Substantial (A2) 
• Defining Event: Ground collision 
• Injuries: 236 None (A1); 1 Minor, 59 None (A2) 
• Flight Conducted Under: Part 121: Air carrier - Scheduled (A1); Part 121: Air carrier - Scheduled (A2)

https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/195092/pdf

https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=195092

On September 10, 2024, about 1007 eastern daylight time (EDT), DAL295, an Airbus A350-941, N503DN, collided with EDV5526, a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) RJ CL-600-2D24 (CRJ900), N302PQ, while taxiing for departure at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Atlanta, Georgia. The 15 crewmembers and 221 passengers on board DAL295 were uninjured. Three crewmembers and 56 passengers on board EDV5526 were uninjured and one crewmember sustained minor injuries. DAL295 was a scheduled international passenger flight operating under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121 from ATL to Haneda Airport (HND), Tokyo, Japan. EDV5526 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight operating under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 121 from ATL to Lafayette Regional Airport (LFT), Lafayette, Louisiana.

As Delta Air Lines flight 295 (DAL295) was taxiing behind Endeavor Air dba Delta Connection flight 5526 (EDV5526), the right wingtip of DAL295 impacted the vertical stabilizer of EDV5526 at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Atlanta, Georgia, resulting in separation of the vertical stabilizer. EDV5526 was holding short of runway 8R on taxiway H waiting for a takeoff clearance as DAL295 was taxiing on taxiway E to hold short of taxiway V. EDV5526 stopped about 56 ft from the hold short line, resulting in insufficient clearance for an A350 to pass behind it on taxiway E. At the time of the collision, the captain of DAL295 was focused on ensuring the airplane's left wingtip would not impinge on traffic exiting taxiway V while the first officer (FO) of DAL295 was locating taxiway V on the navigation display and electronic flight bag (EFB). As a result, neither the captain nor the FO of DAL295 identified the loss of clearance between their right wingtip and the empennage of EDV5526.

- Probable Cause: Delta Air Lines flight crew's loss of situation awareness of the clearance between their right wingtip and the empennage of an Endeavor Air airplane holding on a perpendicular taxiway, resulting in their wingtip colliding with the other airplane's empennage. Contributing to the collision was the Endeavor Air flight crew stopping too far from the hold short line, resulting in insufficient clearance for the Delta Air Lines airplane to pass.