Piper PA-22-108 N5739Z

Summary

On 1 June 1997 at about 00:07 local time, a Piper PA-22-108 registered N5739Z was involved in an accident near Alanson, Michigan, 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

1 June 1997 at 00:07

Classification

Accident

Location

Alanson, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

Private Airstrip

Coordinates

45.4400, -84.7807

Aircraft

Piper PA-22-108

Registration

N5739Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Topinabee

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI97LA153

2 people were seriously injured.

inadequate preflight by the pilot, which resulted in fuel starvation, due to an improper fuel tank selector position. A factor relating to the accident was: the pilot's improper inflight planning/decision, which resulted in his delay or inability to flare the airplane during the emergency landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was being ferried for a annual inspection that had expired. The pilot said he had full fuel in the right tank and 1/2 to 3/4 of fuel in the left tank at take off. At approximately 100 feet agl, the engine lost total power. The airplane was observed by a witness as banking hard to get back toward the airstrip. The pilot said that as the airplane approached the ground, he '. . . started a flare, but apparently just didn't have enough altitude for a recovery.' The pilot had the left fuel tank selected, but no fuel was found in the left tank. Both lift struts had failed at the fork ends, and both struds had compression bents in the middle.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.