Piper PA-28-160 N5520W

Summary

On 18 October 2004 at about 00:05 local time, a Piper PA-28-160 registered N5520W was involved in an accident near Altoona, Wisconsin, United States. 2 people were 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 2004 at 00:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Altoona, Wisconsin, United States

Coordinates

44.8658, -91.4842

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-160

Registration

N5520W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lone Rock → Eau Claire

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

CHI05CA006

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate fuel management leading to the fuel starvation in the left tank during the flight's descent. A factor was the impacted power line.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane sustained substantial damage on impact with a power line and terrain during a forced landing following an in-flight loss of engine power. The pilot stated, "Departed KLNR at 5:55 for Eau Claire airport to drop [the passenger] off and was still flying off the left tank." The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane in reference to the flight and his safety recommendation was "maybe fuel exhaustion." During an on-scene examination of the wreckage, 12.5 gallons of fuel was found in the right tank and approximately a pint of fuel in the left tank.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.