ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 240811
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| Date: | Tuesday 1 September 2020 |
| Time: | 12:45 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-24-250 Comanche |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N5939P |
| MSN: | 24-1029 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1959 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4953 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-540-A1A5 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Jack Barstow Airport (IKW/KIKW), Midland, MI -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Jack Barstow Municipal Airport, MI (IKW) |
| Home Acres Sky Ranch Airport, MI (Y91) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On September 1, 2020, about 1245 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-24-250 airplane, N5939P, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Midland, Michigan. The pilot-rated passenger was fatally injured, and the pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot reported he and the pilot-rated passenger departed on the first flight of the day with the right fuel tank full of fuel and the left fuel tank partially full. He did not state which fuel tank they had selected for the flight which lasted about 30 minutes, but that the pilot-rated passenger flew this leg. He stated they made a full stop landing, taxied back for another takeoff, and after the second landing they taxied to the fuel pumps where they added 18 gallons of fuel to the left fuel tank.
The pilot reported that he has little recall of the accident portion of the flight, but that he was likely flying this portion of the flight. Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast data indicated that the airplane took off and climbed straight ahead to an altitude of about 2,550 ft mean sea level (msl). It then began a right turn back towards the departure airport. The last recorded data point showed the airplane at an indicated altitude of 675 ft msl. The airplane struck a fence and a large grass-covered mound of dirt before it came to rest upright. A witness on the ground heard the pilot state over the radio that they had lost engine power and would perform a forced landing.
A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operations. The fuel selector valve was selected to the right fuel tank. The right fuel tank bladder was intact and did not contain any fuel. The fuel lines on the right side were also empty of fuel. There was no evidence of fuel staining or fuel blight on the right side of the airplane. The left fuel tank bladder was impact damaged and contained a small amount of fuel. Fuel blighting was observed under the left wing during recovery. In addition, fuel staining was observed under the left wing.
The available evidence suggests that the engine lost power due to fuel starvation in that the right fuel tank was empty and the left tank contained an unknown amount of fuel at the time of the accident.
Probable Cause: The loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N5939P/history/20200901/1638Z/KIKW/L%2043.76022%20-84.25147
https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N5939P
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uSguxO4A1g
Location
Images:
Photos: NTSB
Media:
NTSB is investigating the Sept. 1 crash of a Piper PA-24 airplane in Midland, Michigan. NTSB is not traveling to the scene of the crash at this time.
— NTSB_Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) September 1, 2020
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 02-Sep-2020 01:48 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 02-Sep-2020 02:42 | Geno | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Embed code] |
| 02-Sep-2020 14:13 | Captain Adam | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Source, Narrative] |
| 02-Sep-2020 15:46 | Cyberostrich | Updated [Narrative, Photo] |
| 23-Sep-2020 12:00 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Accident report] |
| 13-Oct-2022 02:25 | Captain Adam | Updated [Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Category, Accident report, Photo] |
| 13-Oct-2022 02:26 | Captain Adam | Updated [Photo] |
| 13-Oct-2022 02:27 | Captain Adam | Updated [Category, Photo] |
| 13-Oct-2022 02:27 | Captain Adam | Updated [Photo] |
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