Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA28 near Brooksville, FL — 2009-10-25

Final reportERA10LA031
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Date
2009-10-25
Location
Brooksville, FL, USA
Airport
X05
Aircraft
PIPER PA28
Registration
N7220W
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Cruise

Probable cause

A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot’s inadequate preflight fuel planning.

NTSB narrative

The airplane was 10 minutes into the flight and had just reached a cruise altitude of 2,800 feet above mean sea level when the engine lost power. After unsuccessfully attempting to restart the engine, the pilot attempted a forced landing at an airport off to his left. Approaching the airport, the airplane’s right wing hit a tree and the airplane impacted the ground 400 yards short of the runway. The airplane sustained damage to the wing, fuselage, and propeller. The responding Federal Aviation Administration inspector observed 1/4 gallon of fuel in the right wing fuel tank and no fuel in the left wing tank. There was no evidence of fuel leakage in flight or at the accident site. The wreckage recovery crew reported that they were able to drain 3 quarts of fuel from the airplane. A postaccident engine run was conducted with the engine producing power at high and low rpm settings.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot should have ensured adequate fuel before departure.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 10 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents10

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