Piper PA-28-180 N40892

Summary

On 17 September 1989 at about 19:30 local time, a Piper PA-28-180 registered N40892, operated by Carolina Air Academy, was involved in an accident near Haymarket, Virginia, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 September 1989 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Haymarket, Virginia, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-180

Registration

N40892

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Carolina Air Academy

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mt Airy → Gaithersburg

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

BFO89LA080

1 person had minor injuries.

IMPROPER USE OF THE FUEL SELECTOR, WHICH RESULTED IN FUEL STARVATION & LOSS OF ENGINE POWER; AND IMPROPER USE OF EMERGENCY PROCEDURES AFTER LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. THE PRESENCE OF HIGH OBSTRUCTIONS (TREES) IN THE APPROACH PATH TO THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA WAS A FACTOR.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

AFTER NEARLY 3 HRS OF FLT, THE ENG BEGAN RUNNING ROUGH. THE PLT APPLIED CARB HEAT, TURNED ON THE ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP, AND MOVED THE MIXTURE TO RICH, BUT THE ENG LOST ALL POWER. THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A PASTURE; HOWEVER, BEFORE REACHING THE PASTURE, THE ACFT CONTACTED TREES & CRASHED. AN EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS POSITIONED TO THE LEFT TANK, WHICH CONTAINED APRX 1 PINT OF FUEL. THE RIGHT TANK WAS FULL OF FUEL. DRG A POST-ACDNT TEST RUN, THE ENG OPERATED NORMALLY. THE PLT WAS A FOREIGN NATIONAL FROM MOZAMBIQUE.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.