Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA 31-350 near Covington, LA — 2017-04-23

Final reportCEN17LA166
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Date
2017-04-23
Location
Covington, LA, USA
Aircraft
PIPER PA 31-350
Registration
N3548J
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Climb

Probable cause

The pilot's improper fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of power to both engines due to fuel exhaustion.

NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot departed with full fuel tanks for a multileg, cross-country flight. The pilot estimated that his total flight time for the first two legs of the trip was 4 hours 15 minutes, and he landed at two different airports but did not obtain fuel. About 25 to 30 minutes into the last leg of the flight, the left engine lost power. Shortly thereafter, the right engine lost power. The pilot conducted a forced landing to a field, during which the outboard portion of the left wing and aileron hit a tree and separated from the airplane. About 1 to 2 quarts of fuel were recovered from the entire fuel system. An examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that both engines lost total power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's improper fuel planning.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot did not refuel at DTS or 0R4 despite long flight duration.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 5 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents5

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