Pilot Debrief

PIPER AIRCRAFT INC PA-32R-301T near Graham, NC — 2011-08-16

Final reportERA11LA457
Sign in to save
Date
2011-08-16
Location
Graham, NC, USA
Aircraft
PIPER AIRCRAFT INC PA-32R-301T
Registration
N492ST
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The individual's fuel mismanagement, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a subsequent engine failure. Contributing the accident was the individual’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed following the engine failure, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

NTSB narrative

The airplane was stolen during nighttime hours and flown at varying airspeeds and altitudes for about 2 hours before it impacted trees and terrain. Photographs of the accident scene revealed damage indicative of an almost vertical descent and consistent with a stall. There was no indication of engine power at the time of impact, and no significant amount of fuel was found at the scene, in the airplane, or seeped into the ground. An individual, who had previously held a student pilot certificate, was arrested 2 days after the event. The individual refused to provide a statement to authorities. Fuel prior to takeoff and power settings used could not be determined; however, with fuel exhaustion occurring after only 2 hours for an airplane that should have had considerably more endurance if fully fueled and operated correctly, it is likely that the individual mismanaged the rate of fuel consumption.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Fuel selector was turned off before the accident, indicating poor fuel management.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • ADS-B / radar
  • Photos
  • 7 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents7

Related mishaps