Whittman Tailwind DN-1 accident near Grafton, WV
On January 22, 2001, a Whittman Tailwind DN-1 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Grafton, WV. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- January 22, 2001
- Place
- Grafton, WV
- Aircraft
- Whittman Tailwind DN-1 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 39.341°N, 80.014°W
- NTSB ID
- 20010207X00415
NTSB summary
On January 22, 2001, about 1630 eastern standard time, a Whittman Tailwind DN-1 homebuilt airplane, N911N, was substantially damaged while maneuvering near Grafton, West Virginia. The certificated commercial pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that departed Allaire Airport (BLM), Belmar, New Jersey; destined for Mason County Airport (3I2), Point Pleasant, West Virginia. No flight plan was filed for the ferry flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. Prior to the day of the accident, the pilot had not flown the make and model accident airplane. According to the operator of the airplane, the pilot "topped off" the 24-gallon fuel tank with 21.5 gallons of 100LL. The pilot then performed two takeoffs and landings, to familiarize himself with the airplane. The two takeoffs and landings took about 20 minutes. He then let the airplane engine idle on the ground, for about 20 minutes, while he prepared for his cross-country flight. The pilot departed about 1400 for the flight to 3I2, with the intention of delivering the airplane to a new owner. A witness, who was piloting a different airplane, intended to follow the accident pilot to 3I2. The witness stated that once airborne, the accident airplane flew slower than the accident pilot had planned. The witness had to reduce his airspeed from 140 knots to "about" 120 knots to stay with the accident airplane. About 5-10 miles past Garret County Airport (2G4), Oakland, Maryland, the witness lost sight of the accident airplane. He assumed that the accident airplane had landed at 2G4 to refuel.
Probable cause
The pilot's improper preflight planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion. A factor was the pilot's lack of familiarity with the airplane.
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Browse: West Virginia
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
