Piper PA-24-250 N7857P

Summary

On 19 May 2006 at about 18:15 local time, a Piper PA-24-250 registered N7857P, operated by Dennis M. Hope, was involved in an accident near Carson City, Nevada, 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

19 May 2006 at 18:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Carson City, Nevada, United States

Coordinates

39.3333, -119.7500

Aircraft

Piper PA-24-250

Registration

N7857P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Dennis M. Hope

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rio Vista → Minden

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX06CA176

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power due to the pilot's inadequate fuel system management, which resulted in fuel starvation and the loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane landed gear up during a forced landing in a field following an in-flight loss of engine power. The airplane experienced a loss of engine power after about an hour's flight. The pilot pulled the carburetor heat on first, and then turned on the auxiliary fuel pump, but power was not restored. The pilot then turned the fuel selector from the left main fuel tank to the left auxiliary tank and waited for 1 minute. Power was still not restored. He switched to the right auxiliary fuel tank but still nothing happened. The pilot attempted to restore power by using the primer to pump fuel to the engine. The pilot committed to an off-field landing in an alfalfa field after failing to restore engine power. After clearing power lines, the pilot extended full flaps and opted not to extend his landing gear. An inspection performed at the scene of the accident by Federal Aviation Administration inspectors revealed that both main fuel tanks were completely dry and both auxiliary fuel tanks were full. An inspector placed the fuel selector on the auxiliary tank position and turned on the boost pump. After several seconds, the fuel system pressurized and operated normally. No mechanical problems were found with the fuel system or the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.