ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 295468
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| Date: | Friday 25 July 2003 |
| Time: | 08:05 LT |
| Type: |  Piper PA-25-235 |
| Owner/operator: | Aerial Banners, Inc. |
| Registration: | N72AB |
| MSN: | N72AB |
| Total airframe hrs: | 480 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-540 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Plantation, Florida -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | Miami-Opa locka Executive Airport, FL (OPF/KOPF) |
| Miami-Opa locka Executive Airport, FL (OPF/KOPF) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot stated that after one and a half hours into the flight, when proceeding back to the airport to drop off the banner, suddenly the airplane's engine started to operate rough, and there was a decrease in engine RPMs. He said that at that time the airplane was unable to maintain altitude with the decrease in engine power. Soon after that he said the engine started to cough and the propeller began to slow its revolutions. He said he then performed the emergency checklist, and attempted to restart the engine but it would not start, so he looked for a safe area to drop the banner, and made a precautionary landing on a golf course. During landing the pilot said the right main landing hear wheel hit a "roll" in the fairway and the airplane was damaged. The pilot said that the fuel gage was indicating over a quarter of a tank of fuel, and he did not list any other mechanical failure or malfunction to the airplane or to any of its systems. An FAA inspector who responded to the accident stated that he examined the airplane, and minimal fuel was found on board the airplane, and there was no evidence of any fuel having exited the airplane as a result of the accident. In addition, the inspector said that when he interviewed the pilot, the pilot told him he had not placed any fuel in the airplane the day of the accident, and that the pilot said that when he checked the fuel quantity before the flight as part of the preflight procedure, he attempted to feel the fuel by placing his finger in the refueling access. He said the pilot said that he could not feel any fuel in the tank, so he shook the airplane, and fuel splashed on his finger. Information obtained from the operator showed that fuel had last been purchased and placed in the accident airplane's fuel tanks the day before the accident, and that another pilot employed by the operator had flown the airplane for about two and a half hours on that day.
Probable Cause: The pilot's improper preflight planning and failure to refuel before the flight, which resulted in fuel exhaustion, a forced landing and damage to the airplane during the landing.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB MIA03LA149
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 13-Oct-2022 08:51 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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