Piper PA-22 N1735P

Summary

On 3 July 2005 at about 22:00 local time, a Piper PA-22 registered N1735P, operated by Keith A. Borgelt, was involved in an accident near Kamaih, Idaho, 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

3 July 2005 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Kamaih, Idaho, United States

Nearest airport

Kamiah Muni (S73)

Coordinates

46.2211, -116.0136

Aircraft

Piper PA-22

Registration

N1735P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Keith A. Borgelt

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kamaih → Kamaih

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA05CA140

Nobody was injured.

Fuel starvation due to the pilot's improper placement of the fuel selector, resulting in a loss of engine power, and collision with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported "the owners manual [aircraft], check list, placard, and my flight instructor had all noted that takeoff on the right fuel tank with less than 1/3 fuel is prohibited." The pilot further stated that during the preflight run-up he was distracted and inadvertently "missed the switch to left tank." Shortly after takeoff, about 100 feet above ground level (agl), the engine quit. The pilot reported that he switched tanks, but was unable to restart the engine before the airplane impacted the runway in a nose-low attitude resulting in substantial damage. The airplane is equipped with two 18-gallon wing tanks. The pilot reported the airplane contained approximately 10 gallons of fuel at the time of the takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.