Pilot Debrief

PIPER J3C near Green Creek, NJ — 2017-08-20

Final reportERA17LA281
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Date
2017-08-20
Location
Green Creek, NJ, USA
Airport
JYO4
Aircraft
PIPER J3C
Registration
N46286
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The pilot's exhaustion of the fuel supply in the selected tank.

NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot stated that he filled the airplane's fuel tanks the day before the accident; he departed on the banner tow flight with an estimated 4.8 hours of fuel endurance. After about 4 hours of flight, which included 6 full-power climbs with banners, the engine lost total power. During the subsequent forced landing, the pilot switched from the left fuel tank to the right fuel tank and attempted to restart the engine to no avail. The airplane landed in a marsh, which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe and firewall. During postaccident examination of the airplane, about 1 gallon of fuel was recovered from the right fuel tank, while no fuel was recovered from the left fuel tank. It is likely that the pilot exhausted the fuel supply in the left fuel tank, which resulted in the total loss of engine power.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked fuel levels before entering the downwind leg.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 6 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents6

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