Piper PA-28-181 N3004U
17 August 1999 · Sacramento, California, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 17 August 1999 at about 03:24 local time, a Piper PA-28-181 registered N3004U was involved in an accident near Sacramento, California, United States. 3 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 03:24
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Sacramento, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Sacramento Intl (SAC)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181
- Registration
- N3004U
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Portland → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Dusk
- NTSB number
- LAX99LA268
People
2 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Probable cause
Fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's failure to ensure that sufficient fuel was on board to complete the flight, and, the flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The airplane was airborne for just over 4 hours and nearing the destination airport when the engine sputtered. The pilot switched from the left fuel tank to the right fuel tank, and the engine restarted. The CFI then declared a low fuel state to the TRACON controller. About 8 miles from the airport, the engine sputtered and then quit. The CFI took the controls, attempted an unsuccessful engine restart, and force landed in a field. A sheriff's deputy who responded to the accident site visually checked the fuel tanks and noted that they were both empty. He further indicated no fuel was observed leaking from the airplane, or observed on the ground. The airplane was inspected on-scene. The fuel tanks and all system lines were intact. No fuel was found in lines from the gascolator to the carburetor. The flight instructor said in his written statement that the fuel burn was according to his preflight calculations.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-28 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Mar 1999 | Piper PA-28-181 | Scottsdale, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 May 1999 | Piper PA-28-180 | Burlington, Wyoming, United States | Garland Brothers, LLC | No injuries | - |
| 17 Jul 1999 | Piper PA-28-181 | Yorkville, Illinois, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 23 Oct 1999 | Piper PA-28-161 | Lake Wales, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Aug 1999 | Piper PA-28-181 | Tooele, Utah, United States | Proflight | No injuries | - |
| 13 Aug 1999 | Piper PA-28-181 | Paw Paw, Michigan, United States | National Flyers Association | Fatal | 4 |
All 9,402 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Dec 1999 | Rhea KR-2 | Moreno Valley, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 18 Dec 1999 | Cessna 172A | Shoshone, California, United States | Charles R. Christman | No injuries | - |
| 9 Sep 1999 | Piper PA-22-150 | Strathmore, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Sep 1999 | Cessna 172N | San Jose, California, United States | Concord Flight Intl, Inc | No injuries | - |
| 30 Apr 1999 | Schweizer 269C-1 | Concord, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Sep 1999 | Robinson R-22 | Azusa, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |