ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 263814
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| Date: | Thursday 10 June 2021 |
| Time: | 19:10 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-32-260 Cherokee Six |
| Owner/operator: | G&M Aircraft Inc |
| Registration: | N3793W |
| MSN: | 32-720 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1966 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3420 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-540-E4B5 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Lafayette, CO -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Broomfield-Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, CO (BJC/KBJC) |
| Lafayette, CO | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The purpose of the instructional flight was for the pilot to receive a checkout in the airplane. Before the flight, the right wing main fuel tank contained 16-18 gallons of fuel, the left wing main fuel tank contained less than 10 gallons of fuel, and both wingtip tanks were completely full (17 gallons each). The pilot and his flight instructor discussed the fuel status before departure and had agreed to operate the engine on the right wing main tank to correct the fuel imbalance between the tanks during the flight.
The flight consisted of visual flight rules maneuvers and touch-and-go landings, and about 1.1 hour into the flight the airplane had a loss of engine power about 1,000 ft above the ground while in cruise flight. A forced landing was completed to a nearby field, but shortly after touchdown the airplane collided with a berm that caused the airplane to become airborne again. The nose landing gear collapsed and both wings were substantially damaged when the airplane landed hard the second time.
The pilot and his flight instructor both reported that the entire flight had been flown using fuel from the right wing main fuel tank. Neither the pilot nor his flight instructor switched fuel tanks after the loss of engine power because they were focused on the forced landing. The pilot stated that based on the airplane’s performance data, the loss of engine power was likely due to fuel starvation.
An onsite examination of the wreckage revealed that the right wing main fuel tank was intact and contained less than ¼ gallon of fuel. According to the airplane’s owner’s handbook, there was about 1 pint of unusable fuel in each of the 4 fuel tanks. The remaining 3 fuel tanks contained usable fuel. Additionally, there were no mechanical malfunctions identified with the airplane’s fuel system or the engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause: The flight crew’s improper fuel management that resulted in fuel starvation and the loss of engine power.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/instructor-student-ok-after-plane-goes-down-in-lafayette
NTSB
https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=3793W
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a45810&lat=40.058&lon=-105.199&zoom=11.1&showTrace=2021-06-11×tamp=1623373760
https://www.airport-data.com/images/aircraft/001/222/001222468.jpg (photo)
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 11-Jun-2021 06:02 | gerard57 | Added |
| 11-Jun-2021 06:51 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 11-Jun-2021 13:14 | Anon. | Updated [Source] |
| 15-Jun-2021 17:31 | Captain Adam | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 17-Apr-2022 12:30 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report, Photo] |
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