Piper PA32 N8440F

Summary

On 29 June 2018 at about 20:03 local time, a Piper PA32 registered N8440F, operated by Skyhigh Flyers Flying Club, Inc., was involved in an accident near Salisbury, North Carolina, United States. 3 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

29 June 2018 at 20:03

Classification

Accident

Location

Salisbury, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Rowan County (KRUQ)

Coordinates

35.6458, -80.5203

Aircraft

Piper PA32

Registration

N8440F

Category

Airplane

Year built

1976

Engines

1

Operator

Skyhigh Flyers Flying Club, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Salisbury → Lake Norman

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR18LA194

Nobody was injured.

A total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed with his passengers on a cross-country flight with the main and auxiliary fuel tanks at full capacity. About 2 hours and 18 minutes into the flight, the engine lost total power. The pilot was unable to restart the engine and declared an emergency. The controller provided vectors to a nearby airport, where the airplane landed hard, resulting in substantial damage. First responders reported that they drained about 55 gallons of fuel from the airplane after the accident and an additional, unquantified amount spilled onto the ground; however, the fuel was drained before the airplane could be examined and the amount of fuel onboard and its distribution at the time of the accident could not be confirmed. Data retrieved from an onboard engine monitoring system showed erratic fuel flow indications concurrent with a sudden decrease in exhaust gas temperatures. These erratic fuel flow indications suggest the possibility that the transducer was pulling in air due to an interruption in fuel flow, which may have been the result of fuel starvation or an introduction of air within the fuel system upstream of the transducer. The fuel lines were not tested, as they had been cut by recovery personnel. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed no fuel in the line between the engine-driven fuel pump and the fuel servo, which typically captures and retains unused fuel destined for the engine. A subsequent engine run revealed no anomalies of the engine. Given the available information, it is likely that the loss of engine power was the result of fuel starvation; however, whether the fuel starvation was the result of fuel mismanagement or an introduction of air into the fuel system could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.