Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA-22/20 near New Orleans, LA — 2011-04-16

Final reportCEN11FA292
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Date
2011-04-16
Location
New Orleans, LA, USA
Aircraft
PIPER PA-22/20
Registration
N3621Z
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

The pilot’s inadequate in-flight fuel management, which resulted in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power.

NTSB narrative

The pilot had just taken off and was about 400 feet above ground level when the engine began to run rough and then lose all power. The pilot switched the fuel selector from the left fuel tank to the right tank and pumped the engine primer but could not restore power. The pilot force-landed the airplane on a road. During the landing roll, the airplane struck a minivan that could not get out of the way of the airplane. A postaccident examination showed little fuel in the airplane's left fuel tank. The right fuel tank was full of fuel. The airplane’s engine and other systems showed no preimpact anomalies. The pilot said that his practice was to take off on the left tank and switch tanks once he was stable in the air. On the day of the accident, the pilot made several short flights and forgot to switch from the left tank on those flights; thus all the fuel from the left tank was used up before the accident flight.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot forgot to switch fuel tanks after takeoff, leading to engine power loss.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 2 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents2

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