Pilot Debrief

Piper PA34 near Gulf Shores, AL — 2018-07-07

Final reportERA18LA186
Sign in to save
Date
2018-07-07
Location
Gulf Shores, AL, USA
Airport
JKA
Aircraft
Piper PA34
Registration
N294AB
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The pilot's improper preflight and in-flight fuel planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion to the left engine and a total loss of engine power during an attempted go-around maneuver.

NTSB narrative

The private pilot departed in the twin-engine airplane with an estimated quantity of fuel. While landing at the destination airport, the airplane bounced and the pilot aborted the landing. During the subsequent climb, the left engine surged several times before it lost all power. The pilot attempted to restore left engine power by placing the auxiliary fuel pump switch to "high" and selecting "crossfeed" on the left fuel selector, but restoration of continuous engine power was unsuccessful. When the left engine stopped producing power, the stall horn sounded, and the controls "started to buffet." The pilot said that he had "no time" to consult the emergency checklist and considered multiple forced landing areas before he chose to land straight ahead into trees. The airplane came to rest upright with substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. There was an odor of fuel at the scene, but there was no evidence of fuel or fuel spillage. Examination and testing of the engines revealed no pre-impact mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane's best single-engine rate of climb given the conditions present at the time of the accident was about 280 ft per minute.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot did not measure fuel before departure, leading to power loss.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 16 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents16