Piper PA32 N4726S

Summary

On 20 December 2019 at about 23:00 local time, a Piper PA32 registered N4726S was involved in an accident near Florida, Massachusetts, United States. 3 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 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

20 December 2019 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Florida, Massachusetts, United States

Coordinates

42.6631, -73.0178

Aircraft

Piper PA32

Registration

N4726S

Category

Airplane

Year built

1969

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

New York → Rutland

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

ERA20LA057

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s fuel mismanagement during flight, resulting in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation and a forced landing in a remote, wooded terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he departed on the night, cross-country flight with full fuel tanks, or 84 gallons total on board. About 1.5 hours into the flight, the engine lost all power, and a restart attempt was unsuccessful. He performed a forced landing in remote, wooded, mountainous terrain. The airplane was substantially damaged, and the pilot and one passenger sustained minor injuries; one passenger had serious injuries. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of a preexisting mechanical malfunction or failure of the engine. The fuel selector was found positioned on the right main tank. The right main tank was punctured, but otherwise was not breached. No fuel was found below the puncture hole. Examination of the fuel lines found that the line from the engine firewall to the fuel pump and the line from the fuel pump to the carburetor were absent of fuel. The other three tanks were damaged, and fuel staining was observed on the snow around the main wreckage. Performance data for the airplane indicated that the engine would have consumed a fuel amount approximating the capacity of the right main tank prior to the loss of power. It is likely that the pilot exhausted the fuel in the right tank and did not switch tanks during his attempt to restore engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.