Piper PA 30 N7350Y

Summary

On 25 June 2014 at about 23:00 local time, a Piper PA 30 registered N7350Y, operated by Ridgeaire Inc, was involved in an accident near Kalispell, Montana, 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

25 June 2014 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Kalispell, Montana, United States

Nearest airport

Glacier Park International (GPI)

Coordinates

48.3106, -114.2561

Aircraft

Piper PA 30

Registration

N7350Y

Category

Airplane

Year built

1964

Engines

2

Operator

Ridgeaire Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kalispell → Eureka

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR14LA269

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot’s inadequate preflight planning and checks, during which he failed to determine the quantity and distribution of the fuel, which resulted in the loss of right engine power during takeoff due to fuel starvation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot reported that, during takeoff for the cross-country flight, the right engine lost power. The airplane, which was about 10 ft above the ground, then veered right away from the runway. The pilot immediately switched fuel tanks, raised the landing gear, and feathered both propellers. Subsequently, the airplane entered about an 80-degree right bank, and the pilot was able to get the airplane nearly level, applying full left aileron and rudder, just before it contacted the ground. The airplane came to rest about 500 ft off the right side of the runway. During the accident sequence, the right engine separated from the fuselage. After the accident, the pilot shut off the fuel valves; he did not recall which position the fuel selectors were set to for takeoff. Postaccident examination of the airframe and right engine did not reveal any anomalies or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the main fuel tanks appeared to be empty but that the auxiliary tanks, which have a total capacity of 30 gallons, appeared to be almost full. The pilot reported taking off with a total fuel quantity of 30 gallons; therefore, most of the usable fuel was in the auxiliary tanks. The airplane flight manual states that, for takeoff, the fuel selectors should be selected "on" to the main fuel tanks. It is likely that the pilot followed these procedures, which led to the fuel starvation of the right engine. The Pilot's Operating Handbook preflight check included a step to visually check each tank's fuel quantity on the gauge and to visually check the fuel quantity in each tank during the walkaround inspection. Based on the evidence, it is likely that the pilot did not adequately follow these procedures before the flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.