Piper PA24 N3214P

Summary

On 5 November 2018 at about 23:55 local time, a Piper PA24 registered N3214P was involved in an accident near Texico, New Mexico, United States. 4 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

5 November 2018 at 23:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Texico, New Mexico, United States

Nearest airport

Clovis Muni (CVN)

Coordinates

34.3886, -103.0450

Aircraft

Piper PA24

Registration

N3214P

Category

Airplane

Year built

1958

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Austin → Texico

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

GAA19CA053

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot's improper preflight fuel planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a 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, the day before the accident flight, he had fully refueled the airplane’s fuel tanks (60 gallons of fuel), conducted a run-up of the engine, and conducted a local flight around the pattern to troubleshoot an electrical issue that was later resolved. The pilot reported that, on the day of the accident, during the preflight inspection for the cross-country flight, the airplane was only "two gallons shy of full." About 2.5 hours into the flight, after switching the fuel tanks multiple times en route, he switched to the left main fuel tank to prepare for landing. He added that, about 4 miles south of the destination airport, the engine lost power, the airplane was "too low," and he set up to land on a nearby road. The airplane landed with the gear retracted and struck multiple signs before coming to rest. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing, fuselage, and empennage. During a postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, both fuel tanks were found empty, and no evidence of fuel leakage was found at the accident site.   During a telephone conversation, the pilot reported that the total flight time the day of the accident was about 3.1 hours and that he was not aware of any preaccident mechanical failures. He estimated that the fuel burn was about 14 gallons per hour and that, during the accident flight, there was about a 17-knot headwind. The Pilot’s Operating Handbook for the airplane stated that, while at 75% power, the airplane has about 3.7 hours of fuel endurance. Given the evidence, it is likely that the pilot did not ensure that there was adequate fuel onboard for the accident flight, which led to fuel exhaustion and a total loss of engine power.      

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.