Piper PA-44 N160PT

Summary

On 9 December 2022 at about 21:00 local time, a Piper PA-44 registered N160PT, operated by Pilot Training Center LLC, was involved in an accident near Hawkinsville, Georgia, 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

9 December 2022 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Hawkinsville, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Hawkinsville-Pulaski County (51A)

Coordinates

32.3039, -83.4262

Aircraft

Piper PA-44

Registration

N160PT

Category

Airplane

Year built

1978

Engines

2

Operator

Pilot Training Center LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Miami → Macon

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

ERA23LA083

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s inadequate in-flight decision-making, 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

The pilot of the twin engine-equipped airplane reported that while on an instrument flight rules cross-country flight at night, he became concerned about the amount of fuel aboard and considered stopping for fuel. About the time he became aware of the fuel state, the airplane encountered instrument meteorological conditions and his attention was diverted from finding an alternate airport to maintaining his flight path. When air traffic control cleared the pilot to go direct to the initial approach fix at his destination airport, the airplane experienced an uncommanded right yaw. The pilot recognized that the right engine experienced a total loss of power and he began to secure that engine. He declared an emergency and requested radar vectors to the nearest airport. Then, the left engine began to “sputter” and experienced a total loss of power. The pilot reported that he “was sure that it was fuel exhaustion.” Unable to glide to an airport, the pilot aimed for the darkest landscape, to avoid any ground injuries, and the airplane impacted terrain resulting in substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. Post-accident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector noted no smell of fuel or indications of fuel present at the accident site. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Based on this information, it is likely that the pilot exhausted the available fuel supply, with resulted in a total loss of engine power and subsequent forced landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.