Piper PA28 N747KM

Summary

On 5 December 2017 at about 20:00 local time, a Piper PA28 registered N747KM was involved in an accident near Brewton, Alabama, 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

5 December 2017 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Brewton, Alabama, United States

Coordinates

31.0108, -87.0372

Aircraft

Piper PA28

Registration

N747KM

Category

Airplane

Year built

1972

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Atlanta → Pensacola

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA18LA041

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting an instrument flight rules cross-country flight. While descending out of 8,000 ft, the airplane's engine lost total power. The pilot attempted to divert to a nearby airport; however, there were strong headwinds and the airplane would not glide all the way to the airport, so he attempted to land in a field. The airplane collided with treetops and a fence during the off-airport landing, which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed that the intact left-wing fuel tank only contained about 20 fluid ounces of fuel, while the impact-breached right-wing fuel tank was about 1/2 full. The fuel selector was found in the left fuel tank position. The examination did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the engine. Given this information, it is likely that the pilot exhausted the airplane's fuel supply in the left fuel tank and did not switch the fuel selector to the right tank, which resulted in the total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.