ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 353450
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| Date: | Wednesday 30 December 1998 |
| Time: | 17:05 LT |
| Type: |  Piper PA-32-260 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N7724J |
| MSN: | 32-1126 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1969 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4840 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-540-EAB5 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Fabens, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Spring, TX (KDWH) |
| El Paso, TX (KELP) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
About 5 hours 13 minutes into a cross-country flight, the airplane's engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion. During the ensuing forced landing, the airplane touched down on the up-slope of a sand dune. The pilot reported that he 'inspected all 4 fuel tanks following refueling prior to departure.' The pilot further reported that he performed fuel calculations at about 3 hours into the flight using fuel gauge readings, and 'fuel usage [was] estimated at 12 gph.' The operator reported that the airplane's normal fuel consumption was 15 to 18 gallons per hour, and that the airplane's average fuel consumption for its previous two flights was calculated to be 16.27 gallons per hour. The airplane's four fuel tanks held a total of 84 gallons, of which 80 gallons were useable.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to correctly calculate fuel consumption, which resulted in the loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB FTW99LA056
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Mar-2024 06:56 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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