ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 76363
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| Date: | Thursday 12 August 2010 |
| Time: | 18:43 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-25-260 Pawnee |
| Owner/operator: | Aerial Banners Inc |
| Registration: | N254AB |
| MSN: | 25-7556048 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1974 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5472 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-540-G1A5 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | St. Petersburg, FL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Banner and glider towing |
| Departure airport: | St. Petersburg, FL (SPG) |
| St. Petersburg, FL (SPG) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
According to the pilot, he departed with the airplane's fuel tank full (75 gallons) for the local banner towing flight. He flew for about 3 hours and 30 minutes and then initiated a return to the airport. During the return flight, at an altitude of approximately 1,000 feet, the airplane's engine lost power. Just prior to the power loss, while the airplane was in a climb, the pilot noted that the fuel gauge indicated 30 gallons of fuel remained. The pilot released the banner and performed a forced landing on a road.
A postaccident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed approximately 8-10 ounces of fuel remained in the single main fuel tank. The main fuel feed line at the bottom of the fuel tank fuel valve contained a few ounces of fuel. The fuel tank was filled with 30 gallons of fuel to test the accuracy of the fuel gauge, which read 33 gallons of fuel. The engine was test run on the airframe. It started and ran at full power with no anomalies noted. According to the airplane's Operating Handbook, the engine burns an average of 14-16 gallons of fuel per hour, at power settings likely used by the pilot. The fueler who fueled the airplane stated that he filled the airplane to a capacity of 68 gallons of fuel, which is what the pilot specifically requested. The examination revealed no evidence of a mechanical malfunction.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s improper fuel management, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 31 August 2014 | N254AB | Advertising Air Force | 1 | South of Albert Whitted Airport (KSPG), St Petersburg, Florida | |
sub |
| Loss of control | ||||||
| 22 December 2017 | N454AB | 0 | Biscayne Bay, Miami Beach, FL | |
unk | |
| 25 May 2023 | N454AB | Aerial Banners North Inc | 0 | Hollywood-North Perry Airport (HWO/KHWO), North Perry, FL | |
sub |
Location
Images:
Photo: FAA
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 16-Aug-2010 06:38 | harro | Added |
| 20-Feb-2011 06:37 | harro | Updated [Source] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:25 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 26-Nov-2017 18:04 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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