Piper PA-16 N5749H

Summary

On 5 October 1996 at about 17:10 local time, a Piper PA-16 registered N5749H was involved in an accident near Silver Lake, Indiana, 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.

Date

5 October 1996 at 17:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Silver Lake, Indiana, United States

Coordinates

41.0703, -85.1700

Aircraft

Piper PA-16

Registration

N5749H

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ames → Warsaw

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI97LA003

2 people were seriously injured.

fuel starvation due to an inadequate preflight and the pilot performed a low altitude maneuver which prevented him from selecting suitable terrain for landing. Additional factors included the loose fuel cap, fuel siphoning, and unreliable fuel gauges.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The aircraft was topped off at Ames, Iowa, prior to the last leg of the flight. The lineman reported that he opened the left fuel cap and observed that the left tank was full. He replaced the cap and refueled the right fuel tank. The pilot reported he did not visually check the fuel level, but relied on visually checking the fuel caps from behind the wing. The aircraft burned an average of 7.5 gph fuel. The aircraft had 4.5 to 4.8 hours of fuel on board. The flight lasted about 3.7 hours. Witnesses reported the aircraft circling at about 300 feet AGL and the engine sputtering before it quit. The left wing hit a tree before the aircraft impacted the ground. The aircraft skidded up on its nose with the tail nearly vertical. The examination of the aircraft revealed that a fuel stain initiating from the left fuel cap and streaming towards the rear of the wing was clearly visible. The engine and flight controls exhibited continuity. There were open fields near the crash site. The pilot reported that the fuel gauges were unreliable.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.