ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 295146
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| Date: | Friday 3 October 2003 |
| Time: | 14:30 LT |
| Type: |  Piper PA-28-180 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N183DB |
| MSN: | 28-7305076 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1972 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2500 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-360-A4A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | San Rafael, California -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | San Rafael , CA (CA35) |
| LAKEPORT, CA (1O2) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The aircraft collided with the ground short of the runway while attempting a forced landing following a loss of power in the takeoff initial climb. Witnesses reported after the airplane was airborne, the airplane engine started to "sputter" and the airplane turned back towards the airport. As the airplane touched down the wing tip touched the ground and airplane cartwheeled. The pilot said that he aborted his first takeoff after an indication of low fuel pressure. The pilot taxied back and did another run up. He was unable to determine, or duplicate, the fuel pressure abnormality observed during the first takeoff roll and elected to attempt a second takeoff. During the takeoff initial climb the engine started to sputter and lost power. The pilot attempted to turn back towards the runway, but the airplane had insufficient altitude and collided with the ground short of the pavement. The last pilot to fly the accident airplane told investigators that he had refueled the airplane to capacity at a nearby airport located 26 nm northeast of this airport. He stated that when he secured the airplane in his hangar the left fuel tank was 1/3 full, and the right fuel tank was 3/4 full. He said no one had flown the airplane since. During the accident sequence the left wing separated from the fuselage and the outboard 1/3 of the right wing was folded over. The gascolator and left fuel tanks were breeched and no fuel was found. The first responders, including fire and police units, to the accident scene did not see any fuel, nor did they detect the odor of fuel. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector responded to the accident site and examined the wreckage. The inspector was unable to locate any evidence of fuel in the remaining aircraft system components or spillage on the ground. Following recovery from the accident site, a test run of the engine was accomplished while it was still mounted in the airframe. An external fuel source was engineered to deliver fuel directly to the inlet line of the carburetor. The engine was started using the aircraft's own starter switch and engine controls. The engine started and was run up to 1,300 rpm where it was operated for approximately 1 minute, then shut down. Oil pressure during the engine operation was observed to be in the green arc, approximately 60 psi.
Probable Cause: a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX04LA004
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Oct-2022 18:31 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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