Piper PA 18-150 N619GB

Summary

On 4 February 2015 at about 21:46 local time, a Piper PA 18-150 registered N619GB, operated by Liberty University School of Aeronautics, was involved in an accident near Brookneal, Virginia, 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

4 February 2015 at 21:46

Classification

Accident

Location

Brookneal, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Brookneal/Campbell County (0V4)

Coordinates

37.1417, -78.9694

Aircraft

Piper PA 18-150

Registration

N619GB

Category

Airplane

Year built

1966

Engines

1

Operator

Liberty University School of Aeronautics

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Brookneal → Lynchburg

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA15CA120

2 people had minor injuries.

The flight instructor and pilot-rated student's inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the flight instructor and the pilot-rated student, both believed the airplane had been fueled at the time it was pulled out of the hanger by line personnel, and they had observed a fuel truck parked near the airplane prior to the flight. The student had performed the preflight inspection, during which he interpreted the fuel sight gauges as indicating full fuel; however, he did not visually check the fuel in the tanks. When the instructor arrived at the airplane, he asked the student how much fuel was on board and the student said the tanks were full. The flight departed from Lynchburg, Virginia and made several takeoffs and landings at a nearby airport. About 1 hour into the flight as the airplane was 1,000 feet above ground level, the engine lost all power. As the instructor began a turn toward a nearby pasture, the engine started producing power again and the instructor chose to continue the turn, heading toward the nearest airport. The engine then lost all power again. No longer able to glide to the nearby pasture, the instructor flew the airplane straight ahead and let it settle into the trees. The airplane struck the trees and terrain and came to rest inverted. Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The inspector recovered about 1 pint of fuel from each fuel tank. Additionally, neither pilot reported any mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airframe or engine. After the accident, the flight school held safety briefings with its instructors, faculty, and students. These briefings included discussion of the circumstances of the accident, and the implementation of policy changes related to pre and post flight responsibilities of students and instructors, new fuel level measuring procedures, and dispatch records of fuel status. These changes were applied to all airplane types and operations at the school, and were subsequently written in the Flight Operations Manual.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.