Piper PA24 N6148P

Summary

On 29 September 2018 at about 19:30 local time, a Piper PA24 registered N6148P was involved in an accident near Crewe, Virginia, United States. One person was 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

29 September 2018 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Crewe, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Crewe Muni (W81)

Coordinates

37.1836, -78.1019

Aircraft

Piper PA24

Registration

N6148P

Category

Airplane

Year built

1959

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Crewe → Crewe

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA18CA574

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s improper fuel management, which resulted in fuel starvation and the subsequent total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, after a cross-country flight, he wanted to fuel the airplane at the airport, but the fuel tanks were locked. He then flew to a nearby airport to fuel the airplane, but once over the airport, he was told via the UNICOM frequency that the airport was closed for construction and that he would not be able to land. He returned to the departure airport, and as he reduced power and performed his "gump" check, the engine lost total power. He switched from the left fuel tank to the right fuel tank, turned the fuel pump on, and pumped the throttle to no avail. He continued downwind and abeam the runway numbers and added flaps. On base, he felt the airplane was low and decided to head straight for the runway. Near the beginning of the runway, the airplane aerodynamically stalled and landed hard. The airplane slid about 300 ft and came to rest in the grass adjacent the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported that he verified that the left fuel tank was completely empty. He also removed the drain plug from the carburetor, which was also empty. Additionally, the insurance adjuster reported that he looked into the fuel tanks with a scope and saw that the left fuel tank was "bone dry" and that the right tank had about 12 gallons of fuel.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.