Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecna P2004 BRAVO accident near Austin, Texas, March 18, 2011
On March 18, 2011 at about 6:20 pm local time, a Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecna P2004 BRAVO, registered N141AG, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Austin, Texas (Austin-Bergstrom Iap airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to fuel starvation for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 18, 2011 · about 6:20 pm local time
- Place
- Austin, Texas · Austin-Bergstrom Iap · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecna P2004 BRAVO · all P2004 BRAVOs on the register
- Registration
- N141AG · registry record · serial 104
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Prior to the return leg of a cross-country flight, the pilot checked the airplane's fuel level by observing the fuel gauges. The pilot did not measure the actual fuel level; the Pilot’s Operating Handbook contains a warning that “pilots should verify actual fuel quantity visually in tanks before takeoff.” The airplane lost engine power while approaching the destination, and the pilot performed a forced landing; the airplane impacted a house, trees, and terrain. According to the pilot's calculations, the airplane “should have burned 4 gallons leaving 6 gallons.” However, the amount of fuel recovered postaccident was 2 gallons or less; the fuel tanks contain 0.25 gallons of unusable fuel. Although the pilot said that fuel was leaking after the accident, no fuel leaks were observed by or reported to first responders. There was some fuel found in one carburetor bowl, the other carburetor bowl did not have any fuel, and the gascolator did not have any fuel. Therefore, it is likely that the engine was not receiving adequate fuel to maintain power; however the investigation could not determine the reason for the starvation. No preimpact mechanical anomalies were detected.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Inadequate inspection
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of checklist › Pilot
- Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 47 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 14 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 3, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 18, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Step Up Aviation LLC
The flight
- Departed from: AQO Llano TX at 5:35 pm
- Destination: AUS Austin TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,800 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 6:32 pm from AUS, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN11LA237.