Piper PA 28-180 N66AS

Summary

On 18 June 2014 at about 20:10 local time, a Piper PA 28-180 registered N66AS was involved in an accident near Port Isabel, Texas, 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

18 June 2014 at 20:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Port Isabel, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Port Isabel-Cameron County (PIL)

Coordinates

26.1822, -97.3528

Aircraft

Piper PA 28-180

Registration

N66AS

Category

Airplane

Year built

1968

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Abilene → Port Isabel

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN14CA303

2 people had minor injuries.

A loss of engine power due to the pilot's improper inflight planning and reliance of fuel gauge readings, which resulted in fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot checked weather and requested that the airplane be serviced with full fuel before the cross-country flight. Fuel receipts show the airplane was serviced with 34.5 gallons. The airplane's fuel capacity was 50 gallons. He performed a preflight inspection of the airplane to include confirming that its fuel tanks were full. About an hour after takeoff, the pilot checked the fuel gages, which indicated that less than 10 gallons was used. About two hours after takeoff, they indicated that less than 20 gallons was used. About three hours after takeoff, the gages indicated that 28 gallons was used. The pilot indicated that he would have stopped for fuel if there were less than 17 gallons of fuel remaining at that point in the flight. The pilot continued the flight and estimated the airplane had 12 gallons of fuel remaining when it was 17 miles from the destination. He reported that the left tank fuel pressure decreased with 2.5 gallons showing on the gauge prompting a switch to the right tank, which showed 6 gallons remaining. About nine miles from the destination and 1,000 feet above the ground, the airplane flew through brief moderate turbulence. The right fuel tank level dropped to zero fuel within a minute along with a drop in fuel pressure. The pilot started to switch from tank to tank trying to use all the fuel in the tanks. When the airplane lost engine power, he selected a field and performed a forced landing about four hours and ten minutes after departure. The airplane sustained substantial fuselage damage during the forced landing. No fuel leaks were found during the airplane recovery. The left fuel tank contained about one cup of fuel and the right tank did not contain any fuel. A flight-planning chart in the airplane's manual indicated that the airplane should burn ten gallons per hour with a lean mixture. According to the Federal Aviation Administration publication, The Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, "aircraft certification rules require accuracy in fuel gauges only when they read 'empty.' Any reading other than 'empty' should be verified. Do not depend solely on the accuracy of the fuel quantity gauges."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.