ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 138986
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| Date: | Wednesday 5 October 2011 |
| Time: | 12:00 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N6403A |
| MSN: | 38-78A0419 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1978 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5163 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-235-L2C |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Near Centerburg, about 5 miles from Mount Vernon, OH -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Blue Ash, OH (ISZ) |
| Mt. Vernon, OH (4I3) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot reported that he visually checked the fuel level in the tanks and compared it against the fuel quantity gauges prior to the flight. He stated that the left tank contained about 6 gallons of fuel and the right tank contained about 10 gallons. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot switched the fuel selector from the left tank, which was indicating 1 to 2 gallons of fuel, to the right tank. The flight continued for another 50 minutes, and, during the descent to the destination airport, the engine lost power. The right fuel quantity indicator was indicating 5 gallons of fuel at the time. The pilot stated that when he switched the fuel selector back to the left tank in an attempt to restart the engine, the right fuel quantity indicator dropped to 0 gallons. The pilot was not able to restart the engine and force landed the airplane in a corn field. The nosegear collapsed during the landing, which resulted in substantial damage to the firewall. A postaccident inspection of the airplane revealed that both fuel tanks were empty and a small amount of fuel remained in the gascolator. The reason for the discrepancy of the right fuel quantity indicator versus the amount of fuel in the right fuel tank was not determined.
Probable Cause: The pilot's improper pre-flight planning and failure to ensure that there was an adequate fuel supply on board to complete the flight, which resulted in fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the malfunction of the fuel quantity indicator.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: https://www.mountvernonnews.com/local/11/10/06/plane-lands-in-cornfield-near-centerburg
https://www.mountvernonnews.com/blog/2011/10/05/plane-crash-near-centerburg/
https://www.faa.gov/data_research/accident_incident/preliminary_data/media/H_1006_N.txthttp:/registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N6403A
http://www.airnav.com/airport/KRKD
http://www.airport-data.com/images/aircraft/small/000/080/080928.jpg (photo)
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 06-Oct-2011 23:11 | Geno | Added |
| 07-Oct-2011 00:03 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:26 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 27-Nov-2017 17:19 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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