ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 267623
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| Date: | Sunday 12 September 2021 |
| Time: | 10:51 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-44-180 Seminole |
| Owner/operator: | Up and Up Aviation LLC |
| Registration: | N740FT |
| MSN: | 44-7995084 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1978 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 11700 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-360-E1A6D |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Magnolia, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Houston-David Wayne Hooks Airport, TX (DWH/KDWH) |
| Houston-David Wayne Hooks Airport, TX (DWH/KDWH) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On September 12, 2021, at 1051 central daylight time, a Piper PA-44-180 airplane, N740FT, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Magnolia, Texas. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot was completing a personal flight in a rented multiengine airplane and reported that during the preflight inspection, the fuel gauges indicated 17 gallons of fuel in each fuel tank. He then visually inspected each tank and confirmed fuel was present. After takeoff, he climbed to 2,000 ft mean sea level and proceeded to a nearby airport where he completed one full stop landing before he departed and proceeded back to the original airport.
About 10 minutes into the return flight, the left engine experienced a loss of power, followed by the right engine 5 minutes later. The pilot attempted to execute an emergency landing to a road but struck a tree during the descent and crashed onto a residential driveway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the empennage, and the fuselage. The fuel tanks were not breached during the accident sequence and there was no fuel on the ground near the airplane.
A postaccident examination revealed that there was no fuel in either fuel tank, about 4 to 6 oz of fuel was drained from the left carburetor, and there was no fuel in the right carburetor. There were no preimpact mechanical malfunction or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The dispatch sheets and discrepancy logs from the five previous flights did not reveal any anomalies with the fuel gauges, fuel system, or fuel consumption. Based on a postaccident fuel calculation, the airplane likely departed with a total of about 14 gallons of fuel and did not have enough fuel to complete the flight.
Probable Cause: A total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, which resulted from the pilot’s inadequate preflight planning.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://abc13.com/plane-crash-magnolia-montgomery-county-aircraft-landing/11015531/?fr=operanews
NTSB
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=740FT
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N740FT/history/20210912/1525Z/KDWH/L%2030.17569%20-95.72242
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a9f319&lat=30.194&lon=-95.791&zoom=12.7&showTrace=2021-09-12
https://www.aircraft.com/aircraft/193483051/n740ft-1978-piper-seminole
https://cdn.jetphotos.com/full/5/67645_1562700017.jpg (photo)
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 17 April 2012 | N740FT | 30 WEST LLC | 0 | Merritt Island Airport - KCOI, Merritt Island, FL | |
min |
| 1 August 2012 | N740FT | Space Coast Aviation | 0 | Titusville, Florida | |
sub |
Location
Images:
Photos: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Sep-2021 18:58 | gerard57 | Added |
| 12-Sep-2021 19:24 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Location, Narrative] |
| 12-Sep-2021 22:59 | Captain Adam | Updated [Registration, Cn, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 13-Sep-2021 19:11 | Anon. | Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative, Category] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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