Piper PA-28-180 N9504J
4 November 1995 · Fort Worth, Texas, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 4 November 1995 at about 02:30 local time, a Piper PA-28-180 registered N9504J was involved in an accident near Fort Worth, Texas, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 02:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Fort Worth, Texas, United States
- Nearest airport
- Meacham Field (FTW)
- Coordinates
- 32.9794, -97.3110
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180
- Registration
- N9504J
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- FTW96LA040
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Probable cause
INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT BY THE PILOT, AND IMPROPER POSITIONING OF THE FUEL SELECTOR, WHICH RESULTED IN FUEL STARVATION AND LOSS OF ENGINE POWER DURING TAKEOFF. DARKNESS WAS A RELATED FACTOR.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
SHORTLY AFTER TAKE OFF AT NIGHT, WHILE CLIMBING THROUGH ABOUT 300 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL, THE ENGINE LOST POWER, AND THE PILOT WAS FORCED TO LAND IN A GRASSY AREA ON AIRPORT PROPERTY. THE LANDING WAS HARD, WHICH RESULTED IN A DAMAGED WING SPAR. THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN FLOWN APPROXIMATELY 2 HOURS SINCE IT WAS LAST REFUELED. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE HAD UTILIZED THE LEFT FUEL TANK FOR THE 2 HOURS OF FLIGHT, AND 'FORGOT TO CHANGE THE FUEL SELECTOR OVER TO THE RIGHT TANK.' ACCORDING TO THE OWNER, EACH FUEL TANK HAD A CAPACITY OF 18 GALLONS, AND FUEL CONSUMPTION WAS APPROXIMATELY 9 GALLONS PER HOUR. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE AFTER THE ACCIDENT REVEALED THAT THE LEFT MAIN FUEL TANK WAS EMPTY AND THE RIGHT MAIN FUEL TANK WAS FULL. ADDITIONALLY, NO FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE CARBURETOR OR GASCOLATOR. ACCORDING TO THE OWNER'S RECORDS, THE HOBBS METER READING WAS 1345.2 HOURS PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT. THE HOBBS METER READING WAS 1347.2 HOURS AT THE ACCIDENT SITE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-28 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Sep 1995 | Piper PA-28-161 | Rutland, Vermont, United States | Pierre Gourinchas | No injuries | - |
| 24 Sep 1995 | Piper PA-28-180 | Warwick, New York, United States | Theodore LEB | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jun 1995 | Piper PA-28-181 | Palm Springs, California, United States | Alan L. Kaplan | No injuries | - |
| 16 Aug 1995 | Piper PA-28-140 | Bolivar, Tennessee, United States | Alec S. Bari | No injuries | - |
| 3 Jul 1995 | Piper PA-28-140 | Colorado Spgs, Colorado, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Jul 1995 | Piper PA-28-161 | Carmel Valley, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
All 9,402 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Jan 1995 | Cessna 150L | Needville, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 27 Dec 1995 | Piper PA-24-250 | Kaufman, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 25 Jun 1995 | Beechcraft 77 | McAllen, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Dec 1995 | Republic RC 3 | Whitewright, Texas, United States | William Grantham | No injuries | - |
| 10 Feb 1995 | Piper PA-32R-300 | Conroe, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 5 |
| 22 Dec 1995 | Piper PA-22-160 | Waller, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |