Piper PA-28-180 N818TF

Summary

On 28 June 2021 at about 21:48 local time, a Piper PA-28-180 registered N818TF, operated by Old School Aircraft LLC, was involved in an accident near Woodland, Tennessee, 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

28 June 2021 at 21:48

Classification

Accident

Location

Woodland, Tennessee, United States

Coordinates

35.5904, -89.1007

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-180

Registration

N818TF

Category

Airplane

Year built

1967

Engines

1

Operator

Old School Aircraft LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Jackson → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA21LA273

1 person had minor injuries.

The student pilot’s inadequate monitoring of his fuel state during a solo training flight, which resulted in fuel starvation, a total loss of engine power, and a forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The solo-student pilot reported that, during his preflight inspection, the fuel level was “…just below the tabs in each wing.” He later reported that he took off with 24 gallons of fuel on board and the fuel capacity of the airplane was 50 gallons. Takeoff, departure, and enroute operations were uneventful. About one hour into the flight, he noted a loss of engine power. He attempted to maintain glide speed while pumping the throttle to regain power. Unable to regain power, he looked for an area to perform a forced landing. While approaching a field, the airspeed decreased to near stall speed and the airplane struck tress before reaching the open field. The airplane impacted the trees and came to rest in a nose low attitude. An inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration responded to the accident site and confirmed that damage to the fuselage and wings was substantial. The fuel selector was on the right tank position, and the right tank was uncompromised and empty of fuel. The left tank contained about 15 gallons of fuel. The pilot later reported that he never switched from the right tank during flight, and he failed to monitor his fuel status and allowed the fuel in the right tank to “burn out.”

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.