Piper PA-28-180 N238PP

Summary

On 6 May 2005 at about 18:25 local time, a Piper PA-28-180 registered N238PP was involved in an accident near Portland, Maine, United States. 2 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.

Date

6 May 2005 at 18:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Portland, Maine, United States

Coordinates

43.6461, -70.3092

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-180

Registration

N238PP

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Buffalo → Portland

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC05CA077

2 people had minor injuries.

A loss of engine power due to the pilot's improper decision not to land and refuel resulting in fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting a cross-country flight. The airplane had been airborne for about 3.5 hours, and as the flight neared the airport, the engine sputtered. The pilot immediately turned on the electric fuel pump and switched from the right fuel tank to the left. About 1/2-mile from the runway, the engine lost total power. The pilot performed a forced landing to a marsh area, where the airplane came to rest inverted. The pilot stated that, "I am amazed at the low quantity of fuel I left in the left tank, the first tank used, when I initially switched tanks about half-way during the flight. There was probably a fraction of a gallon left! Obviously, if I had run the tank completely dry at altitude with only half of the trip complete, I would have realized refueling was necessary en-route."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.