Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA 24 near Houston, TX — 2016-06-20

Final reportCEN16LA225
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Date
2016-06-20
Location
Houston, TX, USA
Airport
HOU
Aircraft
PIPER PA 24
Registration
N5661R
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

NTSB narrative

The private pilot was about 6 miles from the destination airport when he informed the controller that the airplane had lost all engine power and would not be able to make it to the airport. The airplane struck the roof of a 40-ft-tall warehouse. No fuel was found in either fuel tank, and there was no evidence of a fuel spill. The pilot stated after the accident that the engine had lost power due to fuel exhaustion. No information was obtained during the investigation that detailed where the pilot had departed from or how much fuel was on board the airplane at the start of the accident flight. It is likely that the pilot departed with insufficient fuel on board for the planned flight or that he did not monitor his fuel usage during the flight; either of these scenarios would have resulted in the loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked fuel levels before departure to prevent fuel exhaustion.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 3 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents3

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