Piper PA32 N3862W

Summary

On 28 August 2021 at about 16:40 local time, a Piper PA32 registered N3862W, operated by MMF Aircraft LLC, was involved in an accident near Spartanburg, South Carolina, 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

28 August 2021 at 16:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Spartanburg Downtown Meml/Simp (SPA)

Coordinates

34.9164, -81.9558

Aircraft

Piper PA32

Registration

N3862W

Category

Airplane

Year built

1966

Engines

1

Operator

MMF Aircraft LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Morganton → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA21LA344

1 person was seriously injured.

The flight instructor’s improper fuel management, 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

Prior to the cross-country instructional flight, the airplane had a total fuel load of about 70 gallons, which was enough for about 5 hours of total flight time. After about 2.3 hours of flight, as they approached the home airport about 800 ft above ground level, there was a complete loss of engine power. The flight instructor and student pilot performed the emergency checklist to no avail. During the ensuing forced landing, the airplane impacted trees and terrain about 3/4 of a mile from the airport. The instructor and student had departed with the fuel selector on the right tank and switched to the left tank during the flight. Neither pilot recalled switching back to the right tank during the later stages of the flight. Fire rescue personnel reported that they moved the fuel selector from the left main tank to the off position after the accident. A surveillance video that captured a portion of the final impact showed a misty vapor that was likely vaporized fuel emanating from the trees as a fuel tank ruptured during impact, indicating there was fuel on board. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Based on this information it is most likely that the fuel selector remained on the left main tank until all the fuel it contained was exhausted, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.