ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 293900
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| Date: | Friday 15 April 2005 |
| Time: | 17:30 LT |
| Type: |  Piper PA-28-140 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N8715E |
| MSN: | 28-7625149 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1976 |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-320 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | McCammon, Idaho -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Malad City-Malad City Airport, ID (KMLD) |
| Pocatello Airport, ID (PIH/KPIH) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Prior to departing on the second leg of the cross-country flight the pilot filled both fuel tanks to capacity, 48 usable gallons, equating to 4.8 hours of flight time. After completing the second leg of the flight, which took 3 hours and 35 minutes (3.58 hours), and unable to purchase fuel at the intermediate stop, the pilot calculated he had 1.22 hours of fuel remaining, more than enough to fly 65 miles to another airport where fuel was available. Approximately 20 minutes into the flight the engine began to run rough. The pilot switched tanks, which resulted in the engine running normal, but just as he was about to proceed to an alternate airport the second tank ran dry and the engine quit. An emergency landing to a field resulted in the airplane touching down, bouncing, and impacting two small trees. The airplane then struck a raised driveway before being launched back into the air and hitting the ground, shearing off both the front and left main landing gear. The aircraft came to rest in an upright position after sliding through a barbed wire fence. An FAA inspector confirmed the lack of fuel in both fuel tanks and substantial damage to both wings. The inspector also observed a homemade placard located above the fuel gage panel which read, "FUEL GAGES MAY INDICATE AS MUCH AS 2 1/2 GALLONS WHEN TANKS ARE EMPTY". The pilot reported no anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident, which would have prevented normal operations.
Probable Cause: A loss of engine power due to the pilot's inadequate in-flight decision/planning by failing to refuel while en route, resulting in fuel exhaustion. Factors contributing to the accident included the trees and fence.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB SEA05CA082
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Oct-2022 14:55 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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