Piper PA-22 N9183D
17 April 1994 · Butler, Pennsylvania, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 17 April 1994 at about 18:20 local time, a Piper PA-22 registered N9183D, operated by Mark Smith, was involved in an accident near Butler, Pennsylvania, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 18:20
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Butler, Pennsylvania, United States
- Nearest airport
- Butler County Airport (BTP)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22
- Registration
- N9183D
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Mark Smith
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- BFO94LA067
People
2 people were seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to select the proper fuel tank, which resulted in fuel starvation and the loss of engine power.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT WAS DOING A SALES DEMONSTRATION FLIGHT AND THE PROSPECTIVE BUYER WAS ABOARD. AS PART OF THE DEMONSTRATION, THE PILOT MADE A LOW PASS OVER THE RUNWAY AND THEN HE ENTERED A LEFT DOWNWIND. AS HE TURNED DOWNWIND, THE ENGINE LOST POWER. THE PILOT FORCED LANDED IN A FIELD, BUT THE AIRPLANE STRUCK TREES, AND CARTWHEELED ACROSS THE GROUND. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED THE FUEL STRAINER AND CARBURETOR FUEL BOWL, RESPECTIVELY, HAD TWO AND ONE OUNCE OF FUEL. THE LEFT TANK HAD 8.5 GALLONS OF FUEL. A PLACARD THAT STATED 'NO TAKE-OFF ON RIGHT TANK WITH LESS THAN 1/3 TANK' WAS OVER THE RIGHT FUEL GAGE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-22 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Mar 1994 | Piper PA-22-160 | Columbia, South Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Jun 1994 | Piper PA-22 | Melba, Idaho, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jul 1994 | Piper PA-22 | Harvard, Illinois, United States | Edwin D. Swart | No injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 1994 | Piper PA-22-150 | Olla, Louisiana, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 13 Oct 1994 | Piper PA-22-108 | Beans Cove, Pennsylvania, United States | William D. Robosson | Serious injuries | - |
| 31 Aug 1994 | Piper PA-22-150 | Everett, Washington, United States | Hill, Douglas, L. | No injuries | - |
All 3,095 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Jul 1994 | Piper PA-28-140 | Towanda, Pennsylvania, United States | Flight Leader, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 8 Aug 1994 | Piper PA-28R-201 | Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 8 Aug 1994 | Cessna 172P | Pottsville, Pennsylvania, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Sep 1994 | Cessna T210R | Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania, United States | Russell Stankiewicz | No injuries | - |
| 18 Sep 1994 | Cessna 172M | New London, Pennsylvania, United States | TOM Kurtz JR | Minor injuries | - |
| 25 Jan 1994 | Piper PA-28-161 | Bethel, Pennsylvania, United States | Aero-Tech Services | Fatal | 1 |