Pilot Debrief

PIPER J3 near Ft. Yukon, AK — 2014-09-28

Final reportANC14LA091
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Date
2014-09-28
Location
Ft. Yukon, AK, USA
Aircraft
PIPER J3
Registration
N7092H
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Cruise

Probable cause

The pilot's improper preflight inspection and in-flight fuel management, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a subsequent forced landing.

NTSB narrative

The private pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight. The pilot reported that, during the flight, the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot made a forced landing in a burned out area of trees, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot reported the accident about 6 months after it occurred. The pilot reported that, after the forced landing, he noted that the right fuel tank cap was missing and that the fuel in the right fuel tank was depleted. The fuel selector was selected to the right fuel tank when the engine lost power, and the pilot stated that he did not attempt to switch the fuel selector to the left fuel tank. The airplane was never recovered or examined; however, given the pilot's statement, it is likely that the engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot did not switch fuel selector to left tank after engine lost power.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 1 docket document
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents1

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