ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 353052
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| Date: | Thursday 8 July 1999 |
| Time: | 10:15 LT |
| Type: |  Piper PA-32R-301 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N8451E |
| MSN: | 32R-8113122 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1981 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2179 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-540 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Fargo, ND -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Des Moines, IA (KDSM) |
| (KFAR) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot reported the airplane had 70 gallons of fuel (3.5 hours) on board at departure. The flight lasted approximately 3.0 hours. The pilot reported that during the pre-landing checklist, the left fuel gauge indicated 10 to 11 gallons when the engine quit. The pilot switched the fuel selector to the right fuel tank that indicated 8 gallons, but switched the fuel selector back to the left tank since the left fuel gauge indicated more fuel. An engine restart was attempted, but it would not start. The pilot flared several feet high, the stall warning horn sounded, and the airplane landed hard. The inspection of the airplane revealed that the left fuel tank contained .75 gallons of fuel. The right fuel tank was compromised during landing. The fuel gauges were checked by putting 5 gallons of fuel in the left fuel tank and 5 gallons of fuel in the repaired right fuel tank. The right fuel gauge read correctly. The left fuel gauge read 3 gallons. The pilot reported that the left fuel gauge had a history of reading inaccurately on an intermittent basis since 1996. The airplane's listed unusable fuel was 5 gallons.
Probable Cause: fuel starvation due to the pilot's fuel mismanagement and the pilot's misjudgment of the landing flare.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB CHI99LA219
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 13 June 2004 | N8451E | Private | 0 | Baxley Municipal Airport, Baxley, Georgia | |
sub |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 09-Mar-2024 09:52 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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