Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA-12 near Rio Grande, NJ — 2008-07-26

Final reportCHI08LA215
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Date
2008-07-26
Location
Rio Grande, NJ, USA
Aircraft
PIPER PA-12
Registration
N4361M
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Cruise

Probable cause

A total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's inadequate fuel management.

NTSB narrative

About four hours into the banner-towing flight the engine started to sputter and lost lower. The pilot reported that his inflight fuel burn calculations were based on fuel burn data gathered during the previous month. Using these data, the pilot thought he had about 15-20 minutes of fuel remaining when the engine lost power. The pilot made a forced landing near a residential area and the airplane struck a fence, resulting in substantial damage. A Federal Aviation inspector looked at the fuel tanks at the accident site and found they were empty. The pilot stated that "in order to reduce my total flight time and land with required fuel minimums, I should have turned inland at an earlier point."

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot should have turned inland earlier to ensure fuel minimums.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 1 docket document
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents1

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