Piper PA-28-181 N8435P

Summary

On 4 January 1995 at about 16:11 local time, a Piper PA-28-181 registered N8435P was involved in an accident near Miamisburg, Ohio, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 January 1995 at 16:11

Classification

Accident

Location

Miamisburg, Ohio, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-181

Registration

N8435P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Dayton → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

BFO95FA026

1 person died.

THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO SWITCH FUEL TANKS WHICH LED TO FUEL STARVATION AND SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF ENGINE POWER.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

DURING CLIMB, THE AIRPLANE'S ENGINE LOST POWER. DURING AN INTENTIONAL MANEUVER TO AVOID A HOME, THE AIRPLANE STALLED, COLLIDED WITH TREES, AND FELL TO THE GROUND. RESIDUAL FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE CARBURETOR BOWL AND ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP. NO FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE FUEL LINES FROM THE FUEL SELECTOR TO THE ENGINE. THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS POSITIONED ON THE RIGHT TANK. ABOUT 12 TO 15 GALLONS OF FUEL WERE RETRIEVED FROM THE LEFT WING, AND AN UNDETERMNED AMOUNT OF FUEL DRIPPED FROM THE LEFT TANK THROUGH A DAMAGED FUEL LINE. THE RIGHT WING FUEL TANK WAS EMPTY. THE RIGHT FUEL TANK WAS TORN OPEN; NO FUEL STAINS WERE NOTED AROUND THE TEAR AND NO FUEL WAS NOTED ON THE FROZEN GROUND BELOW THE RIGHT FUEL TANK. FUEL AND AIRPLANE RECORDS REVEALED THE AIRPLANE HAD FLOWN 3.1 HOURS SINCE IT WAS LAST REFUELED. AT A 75% POWER SETTING, FUEL FLOW IS ABOUT 10.5 GALLONS PER HOURS. EACH FUEL TANK HOLDS 25 GALLONS OF FUEL, OF WHICH ONE GALLON IS UNUSABLE.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.