Piper PA-28-140 N7314J

Summary

On 14 October 2008 at about 18:30 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N7314J was involved in an accident near Repton, Alabama, 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

14 October 2008 at 18:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Repton, Alabama, United States

Coordinates

31.3750, -87.1667

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N7314J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Jackson → Monroeville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA09CA018

2 people had minor injuries.

Fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's inadequate preflight planning.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and his passenger were performing aerial observations, checking paper mill inventories. After approximately three hours of flying, they made an intermediate stop. No attempt was made to purchase fuel at the airport. During the return leg, the left fuel gauge read zero, so the pilot switched to the right tank. The engine began to lose power when the right tank read zero. The pilot switched back to the left tank and was able to restore power for about two more minutes, then the engine quit again. Unable to restore power, he made a forced landing in a wooded area. The airplane collided with trees and came to rest inverted. An A and P mechanic who recovered the wreckage reported that there was no fuel in the tanks and no evidence of fuel leakage on the ground.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.