Piper PA-28-140 N678FL

Summary

On 6 May 2023 at about 17:07 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N678FL was involved in an accident near Clyde, Ohio, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 May 2023 at 17:07

Classification

Accident

Location

Clyde, Ohio, United States

Nearest airport

Sandusky County Regional (S24)

Coordinates

41.3385, -83.1456

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N678FL

Category

Airplane

Year built

1971

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fremont → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA23LA224

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s inadequate fuel management, which resulted in fuel starvation and a forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was performing a touch-and-go landing at an airport near his home base. During the initial climb after an uneventful landing, the engine lost all power. He was unable to return to the airport, so he performed a forced landing in a nearby farm field. The pilot sustained serious injuries and the airframe was substantially damaged. The postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the right wing was severed during the forced landing and the right wing fuel tank was compromised; however, 7 gallons of fuel were recovered from it. The left wing was intact and undamaged. About 1 quart of fuel was recovered from the left tank, and the cockpit fuel selector handle was found in the left tank position. Subsequent examination of the engine and fuel system revealed no evidence of a preexisting mechanical malfunction or failure. Fuel records indicated that the airplane was operated about 4 hours since the previous refueling. The pilot would later state that he did not know why the engine lost power but that it may have been the result of a failure to switch fuel tanks. Based on this information, it is likely that the pilots inadequate fuel management resulted in fuel starvation and the subsequent total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.