Piper PA-38-112 N498DS
13 December 2022 · Rockingham, North Carolina, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 13 December 2022 at about 10:55 local time, a Piper PA-38-112 registered N498DS was involved in an accident near Rockingham, North Carolina, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 10:55
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Rockingham, North Carolina, United States
- Nearest airport
- Richmond County (RCZ)
- Coordinates
- 34.8597, -79.7528
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38-112
- Registration
- N498DS
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1979
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Orlando → Rockingham
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ERA23LA089
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The pilot’s improper fuel management, which resulted in fuel exhaustion 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
According to the pilot, after flying for about 4 hours, the engine lost total power about 2 miles form the destination airport and the pilot performed a forced landing to a field, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane’s fuselage and right wing. The pilot described that the fuel consumption during the accident flight was higher than he had expected based on the fuel consumption that he had calculated on previous flights. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane after the accident and confirmed that both of the fuel tanks were absent of fuel. In the “Recommendation” section of the NTSB Pilot/Operator Accident Report, the pilot stated that “a more accurate way to determine actual fuel on board and a higher reserve might have prevented this accident.” Based on this information, it’s likely that the loss of engine power was due to fuel exhaustion.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-38 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Jun 2022 | Piper PA-38-112 | Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Aug 2023 | Piper PA-38-112 | Harvard, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Sep 2021 | Piper PA-38-112 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | - | Unknown | - |
| 4 Sep 2020 | Piper PA-38-112 | Reserve, Louisiana, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Jun 2024 | Piper PA-38-112 | Dalhart, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Jun 2016 | Piper PA-38-112 | Madison, Indiana, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Apr 2022 | Schweizer SGS 2-33A | Zebulon, North Carolina, United States | North Carolina Soaring Association | Minor injuries | - |
| 9 May 2022 | Wingren Norman ESCAPADE | Brasstown, North Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Sep 2022 | Cessna 177B | Ivanhoe, North Carolina, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 16 Jun 2022 | Cessna 172 | Brevard, North Carolina, United States | Franklin Air Services LLC | Serious injuries | - |
| 13 Feb 2022 | Pilatus PC-12/47E | Beaufort, North Carolina, United States | EDP Management Group LLC | Fatal | 8 |
| 20 Jun 2022 | Piper PA-28-180 | Laurinburg, North Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |