Pacific Aerospace LTD 750XL accident near Harvest, Alabama, August 28, 2017
On August 28, 2017 at about 4:10 pm local time, a 2007 Pacific Aerospace LTD 750XL, registered N750UP, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (descent) near Harvest, Alabama. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper decision to not stop and refuel the airplane as planned and his improper in-flight fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 2017 · about 4:10 pm local time · cases in 2017
- Place
- Harvest, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pacific Aerospace LTD 750XL NO SERIES, built 2007 · all 750XLs on the register
- Registration
- N750UP · registry record · serial 133
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was conducting a cross-country flight to deliver the airplane to a maintenance facility. The airplane departed with full fuel tanks. The pilot stated that, as the airplane neared the planned fuel stop airport, he thought that there was adequate fuel remaining to reach the maintenance facility, so he did not stop to refuel and continued to the destination. About 4 hours 23 minutes into the flight, which was past the expected fuel exhaustion time of about 4 hours 18 minutes (assuming a fuel burn of 50 gallons per hour, which the pilot used for his initial flight planning), the pilot declared an emergency and advised an air traffic controller that the airplane was out of fuel. The controller provided information to the pilot about nearby airports, but the airplane would not have been able to reach any of them, so the pilot initiated a forced landing to a field. Before touchdown in the field, the pilot descended to avoid power lines ahead, but the airplane hit one of the lines. The airplane touched down in the field, impacted an embankment, and came to rest upright on a road. The airplane sustained substantial damage. A small amount of fuel was observed on the ground at the accident site, and residual fuel was found in the two forward fuel tanks. Although the amount of the fuel could not be quantified, it was likely equivalent to the unusable fuel amount. Examination of the airframe fuel system components, including the fuel filter, the environmental collector tank, and the fuel lines in the engine compartment, revealed no fuel, which is consistent with fuel exhaustion. Therefore, it is likely that the pilot's improper decision to not to refuel as planned and his improper in-flight fuel planning led to the loss of all engine power due to fuel exhaustion
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
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute (descent)
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (descent) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management other cases naming the fuel system
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level other cases naming the fuel system
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,063 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 149 in the last 90 days; 772 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 29, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,910.9 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 26, 2017; 161 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-34 (turboprop); 4,911 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CKZ Perkasie PA at 11:45 am
- Destination: HSV Huntsville AL
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 21,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from HSV, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 4 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – FAA Digital Photograph. Front View of the Airplane at the Accident Site.
Photo 2 - FAA Digital Photograph. Left Side View of the Airplane at the Accident Site
Photo 3 - FAA Digital Photograph. Right Forward Quartering View of the Airplane at the Accident Site
Photo 4 - Right Side View of the Engine and Portion of the Propeller Assembly Depicting Cable Wrapped Around the Propeller SpinnerThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on September 19, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | NTSB Partial Audio Review of Communications with Huntsville Air Traffic Control Tower | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Record of NTSB Conversations | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N750UP on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Pacific Aerospace Ltd 750 9 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-34 42 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Pennridge Airport · departed from
- Huntsville Intl-Carl T Jones Field · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Alabama 1,211 since 1982 · 173 in the last ten years
- Alabama 4,354 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA17LA302.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.