Piper PA-28-235 N49DS

Summary

On 18 January 2013 at about 20:00 local time, a Piper PA-28-235 registered N49DS was involved in an accident near Rock Springs, Wyoming, 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

18 January 2013 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Rock Springs, Wyoming, United States

Nearest airport

Rock Springs-Sweetwater County (RKS)

Coordinates

41.5897, -109.0589

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-235

Registration

N49DS

Category

Airplane

Year built

1976

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Gillette → Rock Springs

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR13LA094

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadvertent movement of the fuel selector valve beyond its tank detent, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the fuel selector interlock mechanism.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After an uneventful cross-country flight, the pilot initiated the landing descent by reducing engine power. As the airplane approached the airport's base leg, he performed the landing checklist, which included switching the fuel selector valve to the left tip tank. As the airplane turned from the base to final leg, it descended too low, and he applied full engine power. The engine did not respond, and a few seconds later lost all power. With limited altitude to complete a thorough emergency check, he performed a forced landing into rough terrain. During the landing sequence, the airplane struck a fence and berm, sustaining substantial damage to both wings.   Following the accident, the pilot expressed concern that he may have inadvertently starved the engine of fuel during the approach, by turning the fuel selector valve beyond its left tip tank travel limit, and to the OFF position. The airplane's fuel selector lever was fitted with an interlock mechanism, which was designed to prevent the pilot from inadvertently shutting off the fuel in this manner. Examination revealed that the mechanism had shifted, such that the fuel selector lever could be moved to a position in-between the left tip tank, and OFF detent without engaging the interlock, therefore possibly resulting in an interruption of fuel flow to the engine.   Data extracted from the engine monitor, as well as the minimal quantities of fuel recovered from the fuel system components within the engine compartment, were consistent with a fuel starvation event.   A postaccident examination of the engine and successful engine run revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.