Piper PA 30 N7602Y

Summary

On 12 September 2020 at about 17:43 local time, a Piper PA 30 registered N7602Y was involved in an accident near Billings, Montana, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 September 2020 at 17:43

Classification

Accident

Location

Billings, Montana, United States

Nearest airport

Billings Logan International A (KBIL)

Coordinates

45.6493, -108.3808

Aircraft

Piper PA 30

Registration

N7602Y

Category

Airplane

Year built

1964

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

St. Paul → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR20LA308

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s improper fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the FAA, the pilot contacted the air traffic control tower at the destination airport and requested clearance to land on runway 28. The pilot mentioned that the airplane had one engine “out” but did not share details, nor did he declare an emergency. As the airplane was on short final, the pilot made another radio call to the tower indicating that he lost the second engine. The airplane landed short of the runway against a cliffside. On scene law enforcement reported that they did not smell fuel at the accident site, nor was fuel present in the unbreeched fuel tanks. Postaccident examination of the airframe and both engines did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operations. The pilot does not recall the accident; however, he recalls that he had an issue with the right engine and had to shut it down. Estimated fuel calculations were completed assuming the fuel tanks were full and 75% power was used. The airplane would have consumed 77.4 gallons of the 84 usable gallons during the 4.5 hr accident flight. The calculations did not account for variables such as engine leaning, wind, climb, or descent. Taking those variables into account, it is likely that the airplane did not have enough fuel to complete the flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.