Fuel exhaustion Accident Piper PA-44-180 Seminole N160PT,
ASN logo
ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 302620
 
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information. If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.

Date:Friday 9 December 2022
Time:22:00 LT
Type:Silhouette image of generic PA44 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Piper PA-44-180 Seminole
Owner/operator:Pilot Training Center LLC
Registration: N160PT
MSN: 44-7995161
Year of manufacture:1978
Total airframe hrs:10003 hours
Engine model:Lycoming O-360
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:near Hawkinsville, GA -   United States of America
Phase: En route
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Miami Executive Airport, FL (TMB/KTMB)
Destination airport:Macon-Lewis B. Wilson Airport, GA (MCN/KMCN)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
The pilot of the twin engine-equipped airplane reported that while on an instrument flight rules cross-country flight at night, he became concerned about the amount of fuel aboard and considered stopping for fuel. About the time he became aware of the fuel state, the airplane encountered instrument meteorological conditions and his attention was diverted from finding an alternate airport to maintaining his flight path. When air traffic control cleared the pilot to go direct to the initial approach fix at his destination airport, the airplane experienced an uncommanded right yaw. The pilot recognized that the right engine experienced a total loss of power and he began to secure that engine. He declared an emergency and requested radar vectors to the nearest airport. Then, the left engine began to “sputter' and experienced a total loss of power. The pilot reported that he “was sure that it was fuel exhaustion.' Unable to glide to an airport, the pilot aimed for the darkest landscape, to avoid any ground injuries, and the airplane impacted terrain resulting in substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. Post-accident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector noted no smell of fuel or indications of fuel present at the accident site. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Based on this information, it is likely that the pilot exhausted the available fuel supply, with resulted in a total loss of engine power and subsequent forced landing.

Probable Cause: The pilot's inadequate in-flight decision-making, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: ERA23LA083
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 2 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB ERA23LA083
FAA register: https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=160PT

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N160PT

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates

Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description

The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:

CONNECT WITH US: FSF on social media FSF Facebook FSF Twitter FSF Youtube FSF LinkedIn FSF Instagram

©2024 Flight Safety Foundation

1920 Ballenger Av, 4th Fl.
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
www.FlightSafety.org