Piper PA-24-250 N999JS
22 July 1995 · Watertown, Wisconsin, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 22 July 1995 at about 01:45 local time, a Piper PA-24-250 registered N999JS was involved in an accident near Watertown, Wisconsin, United States. 3 people were on board and one was 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 01:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Watertown, Wisconsin, United States
- Coordinates
- 43.1904, -88.7196
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250
- Registration
- N999JS
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Ellenville → Madison
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- CHI95LA236
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
fuel exhaustion resulting from the improper fuel bladder installation by maintenance personnel. Factors associated with this accident were the collapsed fuel bladder that eliminated about 30 percent of the available fuel in the left tank that the pilot had been relying upon for the flight and operating the airplane with a known equipment deficiency: fuel tank quanity indicators.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
AS THE AIRPLANE NEARED ITS DESTINATION THE PILOT SWITCHED FROM THE RIGHT TO LEFT FUEL TANK. ABOUT FIVE MINUTES AFTER SWITCHING FUEL TANKS THE AIRPLANE'S ENGINE EXPERIENCED A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER. DURING ITS FORCED LANDING APPROACH THE AIRPLANE STRUCK ELECTRIC POWERLINES AND THEN COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND. THE ON-SCENE EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED NO FUEL IN ANY OF ITS FUEL TANKS. ABOUT 1/2 OUNCE OF FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE FUEL SUMP. NO FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE CARBURETOR. EXAMINATION OF THE MAIN FUEL TANK BLADDERS REVEALED THE OUTBOARD, TOP, SECTION OF THE LEFT BLADDER WAS FOLDED OVER AND COLLAPSED. THE FUEL GAUGES DID NOT WORK ACCORDING TO THE PILOT. THE FUEL GAUGE SENDING UNITS ARE LOCATED NEXT TO THE WING ROOT. RESEARCH SHOWED THE FUEL SENDING UNITS WOULD READ THE LEFT FUEL TANK VOLUME LEVEL, BASED UPON FUEL LEVEL, NOT ACTUAL QUANITY.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-24 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Dec 1995 | Piper PA-24-250 | Kaufman, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 9 Nov 1995 | Piper PA-24-180 | Hartford, Vermont, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 18 Oct 1995 | Piper PA-24-260 | Wakeeney, Kansas, United States | Nixon, Thomas E. | Minor injuries | - |
| 10 Sep 1995 | Piper PA-24-180 | Cibolo, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Sep 1995 | Piper PA-24-250 | Sheridan, Wyoming, United States | Otto L. Saxild | Fatal | 2 |
| 26 Feb 1995 | Piper PA-24-250 | Carlsbad, New Mexico, United States | Foucault, James F. | Minor injuries | - |
All 2,700 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Mar 1995 | Cessna 152 | Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Oct 1995 | Piper PA-28-236 | Thorp, Wisconsin, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1995 | Cessna 172F | Danbury, Wisconsin, United States | John Watts | No injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1995 | Roisum Team MINI-MAX | Neenah, Wisconsin, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 23 Apr 1995 | Piper J-3 | Elk Creek, Wisconsin, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 25 Oct 1995 | Cessna 170B | Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |