Piper PA-31-310 N715PM

Summary

On 22 March 1998 at about 15:50 local time, a Piper PA-31-310 registered N715PM, operated by Arapahoe Aviation Inc, was involved in an accident near Southport, North Carolina, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 March 1998 at 15:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Southport, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Brunswick County Airport (SUT)

Coordinates

33.9202, -78.0199

Aircraft

Piper PA-31-310

Registration

N715PM

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Arapahoe Aviation Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Washington

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL98FA059

3 people were seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to follow the preflight checklist, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Contributing to the significance of the accident was the pilot's failure to maintain control of the aircraft following the loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated he checked the fuel quantity in the inboard fuel tanks, but may have omitted the outboard tanks. He departed and climbed to 100 feet where the airplane yawed right. He believed it was a gust of wind which he attempted to correct. At 200 feet, the pilot stated the airplane rolled hard right and impacted trees in a 60 degree nose down attitude. There was no indication of a left engine discrepancy prior to impact. The right engine was examined with no fuel found in the fuel lines, and trace fuel was found in the fuel servo. According to the accident pilot, he regularly flew between Washington-Dulles and Southport, North Carolina using only the inboard tanks. Because of this, he did not check the location of the fuel selector, nor did he necessarily check the fuel quantity in the outboard fuel tanks. The cockpit fuel selector for the right engine was found in the outboard tank location. The right outboard tank on this airplane was not breached, and contained no fuel. The takeoff checklist states the fuel selector should be on the inboard fuel tank prior to takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.