While the National Transportation Safety Board does not normally determine a probable cause for an aircraft accident for months, or sometimes years after an event, the preliminary report the Board released of a July 11, 2019, accident involving an Icon A5 made it clear the pilot did not understand how to calculate the airplane’s actual fuel consumption in a variety of conditions. The Icon’s 100-hp Rotax 912iS engine quit as the airplane approached a 3-mile left base leg for Runway 16 at Chicago Executive Airport (PWK) just prior to darkness. Investigators found the Icon’s fuel tank to absolutely dry. The pilot escaped unharmed, but the A5 was destroyed when the aircraft struck trees and terrain in a nearby forest preserve.
NTSB Points to Pilot Error in Icon Crash Near Chicago
Key Takeaways:
- An Icon A5 crashed due to fuel exhaustion near Chicago Executive Airport, with the NTSB's preliminary report attributing it to the pilot's significant miscalculation of fuel consumption.
- The pilot operated the aircraft's engine at near-maximum power for over half the flight, causing it to burn fuel at 6.9-7.1 gph—far exceeding the planned 4.8 gph and violating the aircraft's operating placard.
- Despite departing with 17 gallons and expecting an hour's reserve, this higher-than-anticipated fuel burn resulted in the tank being completely dry at the time of the crash.
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