Piper PA32 N7703J
9 November 2019 · Houston, Texas, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 9 November 2019 at about 15:45 local time, a Piper PA32 registered N7703J was involved in an accident near Houston, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 15:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Houston, Texas, United States
- Nearest airport
- David Wayne Hooks Memorial Air (DWH)
- Coordinates
- 30.0800, -95.5600
- Aircraft
- Piper PA32
- Registration
- N7703J
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1968
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Houston → Houston
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN20LA018
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to select the proper fuel tank before departure, which resulted in fuel starvation 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 departed on a local flight and shortly after takeoff, the engine lost all power. The airplane was substantially damaged during a forced landing to a field. About 10 gallons of fuel was recovered from the left main fuel tank; the left wingtip fuel tank was impact-damaged and was empty. Both right wing fuel tanks were empty and neither tank was impact damaged or compromised. The fuel selector valve was in the right main tank position. After recovery, the engine was plumbed to an external fuel source; the engine started and ran without hesitation at various power settings. There were no mechanical anomalies with the engine or related systems that would preclude normal operation. It is likely that the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power during takeoff due to fuel starvation as a result of the pilot's failure to select the proper fuel tank.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA32 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Apr 2019 | Piper PA32 | Saipan, United States | Star Marianas Air Inc | No injuries | - |
| 18 May 2019 | Piper PA32 | Roatán, Honduras | - | Fatal | 5 |
| 28 Nov 2019 | Piper PA32 | Kingston, Canada | Oblokulov Otabek | Fatal | 7 |
| 7 Jul 2019 | Piper PA32 | Seldovia, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 31 Mar 2019 | Piper PA32 | Swainsboro, Georgia, United States | M&M Air Llc | No injuries | - |
| 3 Apr 2019 | Piper PA32 | Lakeland, Florida, United States | 4821S Llc | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Jun 2019 | Robinson R22 | Danbury, Texas, United States | Standard Aviation Svcs | No injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 2019 | Cessna A185 | Conroe, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 7 Aug 2019 | Jonker Sailplanes JS1C | Cotulla, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 21 Sep 2019 | Van's VANS RV-10 | Lancaster, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Jun 2019 | Textron B-300 | Addison, Texas, United States | S&H Aircraft | Fatal | 10 |
| 16 Nov 2019 | Cessna 152 | Sherman/Dennison, Texas, United States | US Aviation Group Llc | No injuries | - |