Piper PA 24-250 N7682P

Summary

On 8 November 2016 at about 21:10 local time, a Piper PA 24-250 registered N7682P was involved in an accident near Houlton, Maine, United States. 2 people were 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

8 November 2016 at 21:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Houlton, Maine, United States

Nearest airport

Houlton Intl (HUL)

Coordinates

46.1153, -67.8008

Aircraft

Piper PA 24-250

Registration

N7682P

Category

Airplane

Year built

1961

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Houlton → Houlton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA17CA039

Nobody was injured.

A total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation, which resulted from the pilot’s mismanagement of the available fuel.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot had recently purchased the airplane; he and a flight instructor were conducting a local familiarization flight. After about 1 hour of flying with the left inboard fuel tank selected, he returned to the airport traffic pattern and performed two additional takeoffs. While on the left downwind leg of the traffic pattern, the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot checked that the fuel pump was on while the flight instructor attempted to determine why the engine lost power. The flight instructor then took control of the airplane and turned toward the runway. The airplane contacted the tops of some trees and landed on uneven terrain covered with tall grass and brush about 500 ft short of the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the firewall, fuselage, and wings. Before exiting the airplane, the pilot moved the fuel selector to the "off" position. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the wreckage and found that the left inboard fuel tank was absent of fuel, while the right inboard fuel tank was full. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. When asked how the accident could have been prevented, the pilot stated, "switched to the other fuel tank."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.