Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA 12 near Palmer, AK — 2015-02-01

Final reportANC15LA010
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Date
2015-02-01
Location
Palmer, AK, USA
Aircraft
PIPER PA 12
Registration
N2370M
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The student pilot’s improper fuel management, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inadvertent switching of the fuel selector to the “off” position during the attempted engine restart.

NTSB narrative

The student pilot reported that he was practicing night, solo takeoffs and landings when the engine lost power. He attempted to restart the engine by applying carburetor heat and switching the fuel selector from the left tank to the right tank, but the engine did not regain power. He did not think that the airplane could reach the runway, so he chose to conduct a forced landing in a golf course adjacent to the airport. During the final approach, the landing gear contacted a power line, and the airplane subsequently impacted terrain. The student pilot further reported that he believed that he inadvertently switched the fuel selector to the "off" position instead of the "right tank" position after the power loss. Examination of the airplane's fuel tanks after the accident revealed that the left wing fuel tank was empty.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have ensured fuel tanks were adequate before flight.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 2 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents2

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