Piper PA-32-300 N8956N

Summary

On 15 June 1996 at about 01:50 local time, a Piper PA-32-300 registered N8956N was involved in an accident near Gustavus, Alaska, United States. One person was 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.

Date

15 June 1996 at 01:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Gustavus, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

58.4203, -135.7804

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-300

Registration

N8956N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Skagway → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC96LA088

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power due to low fuel pressure from the engine driven fuel pump and subsequent fuel starvation. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was in cruise flight at 5,000 feet with the fuel selector positioned on the left main fuel tank that contained about 12 gallons of fuel. The pilot intended to deplete the fuel in the left main and then switch tanks. He noted a slight loss of fuel pressure and proceeded to switch the fuel selector to the right main tank that contained about 10 gallons. He also turned the electric fuel pump to the 'on' position. The fuel pressure went to zero and the engine quit. The pilot then selected the right auxiliary fuel tank but he could not restart the engine. During an emergency landing in a river bed, the right wing struck a small bank and the airplane received damage to the nose gear, propeller, right main landing gear, and the right wing. An examination of the engine revealed that upon activation of the electric fuel pump, it produced fuel to the engine driven pump. Hand rotation of the engine did not produce any fuel flow from the engine driven fuel pump. Further examination of the engine driven fuel pump on a test bench revealed that it did not meet the minimum fuel pressure as prescribed by the manufacturer and was very hard to prime.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.