Piper PA-28-180 N33170

Summary

On 18 October 2002 at about 22:55 local time, a Piper PA-28-180 registered N33170 was involved in an accident near Salt Lake City, Utah, 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

18 October 2002 at 22:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Coordinates

40.7883, -111.9778

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-180

Registration

N33170

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mesquite → Bountiful

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN03LA009

Nobody was injured.

fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's inadequate preflight planning. A contributing factor was the pilot's decision to continue the flight without stopping for fuel.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot estimated there was 32 to 33 gallons of fuel on board (the fuel level was just below the tabs in the tank, which indicate approximately 17 gallons in each tank) when he took off. Approximately 2 hours, 15 minutes later, the engine began "running rough." The pilot declared an emergency and was cleared to land at the international airport. The engine then lost all power and the propeller began windmilling. At best glide speed, the pilot was unable to glide to the airport and made a forced landing on a cloverleaf of an interstate highway. During the landing the airplane struck a corrugated metal drainage culvert, collapsing the nose and right main landing gear. The salvage company that retrieved the airplane drained slightly more than 1 quart of fuel from both fuel tanks and the fuel strainer. No fuel stains were noted on the wings or underneath of the fuselage.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.