Piper PA-28-235 N9407W

Summary

On 8 June 2000 at about 22:20 local time, a Piper PA-28-235 registered N9407W, operated by Harold E. Armstrong, was involved in an accident near Sugar Land, Texas, 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

8 June 2000 at 22:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Sugar Land, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Sugar Land Municipal (SGR)

Coordinates

29.6104, -95.6093

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-235

Registration

N9407W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Harold E. Armstrong

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Houston

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW00LA202

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper fuel tank selection, which resulted in fuel starvation. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After departure, the airplane was climbing through 1,500 feet, when the engine 'spooled down.' The pilot stated that he pushed the engine controls forward and turned on the auxiliary fuel pump; however, he did not detect a change in engine power. The pilot elected to make a forced landing in a field approximately 2 miles from the departure airport. During the landing roll, the left main landing gear impacted an ant hill and separated. The FAA inspector found the fuel selector in the off position. He added that he found the left auxiliary fuel tank 'completely empty,' the left and right main fuel tanks full, and the right auxiliary fuel tank containing 3.5 gallons of fuel. The airplane was taken to an aircraft maintenance facility where mechanics test ran the engine on the airplane. The mechanics reported that the engine would not start and run with the left auxiliary fuel tank selected; however, the engine started and ran for approximately 15 minutes on each of the remaining fuel tanks. The FAA inspector stated that the pilot indicated that he thought he had taken off with the left main fuel tank selected.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.