Piper PA32RT N772SG

Summary

On 27 April 2020 at about 22:35 local time, a Piper PA32RT registered N772SG was involved in an accident near Meridianville, Alabama, 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.

Date

27 April 2020 at 22:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Meridianville, Alabama, United States

Nearest airport

Huntsville Executive Tom Sharp (MDQ)

Coordinates

34.8458, -86.5578

Aircraft

Piper PA32RT

Registration

N772SG

Category

Airplane

Year built

1978

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Panama City → Meridianville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA20LA164

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's slip maneuver with a less than full fuel tank selected, which resulted in unporting of the fuel supply, and a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, during approach, the airplane was too fast and high, so he performed a slip maneuver to increase the descent rate. The pilot then added power to arrest the descent rate; however, the engine did not respond. The pilot executed a forced landing into a field about 1,600 ft short of the runway threshold, resulting in substantial damage to both wings. Twenty-five gallons of fuel was recovered from the left fuel tank and 7 gallons of fuel was recovered from the right fuel tank. The fuel tank selector valve was positioned to the right tank. The engine was successfully started and run at idle power following the accident and no anomalies were noted. The pilot’s operating handbook stated that certain extreme maneuvers, including slip maneuvers, could result in unporting of the fuel supply if the selected fuel tank is not full. It is likely that the fuel unported from the right fuel tank during the slip maneuver, resulting in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.