Piper PA-32-260 N7748J

Summary

On 4 December 2023 at about 03:04 local time, a Piper PA-32-260 registered N7748J was involved in an accident near Millington, Tennessee, United States. 2 people were 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

4 December 2023 at 03:04

Classification

Accident

Location

Millington, Tennessee, United States

Nearest airport

Millington/Memphis (NQA)

Coordinates

35.3682, -89.8592

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-260

Registration

N7748J

Category

Airplane

Year built

1969

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Gulf Shores → Millington

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA24LA054

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilots’ fuel mismanagement during the cross-country flight and incorrect fuel tank selection for the landing approach, which resulted in fuel starvation, a momentary loss of engine power, and collision with terrain short of the runway.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor and private pilot initiated a round-trip, cross-country flight. The first leg of the trip was uneventful, and at the intermediate airport, the fuel tanks were topped off for the return flight. While on final approach at the destination airport, the engine lost total power. The private pilot, who was the pilot flying, switched the fuel selector from the left main tank to the left tip tank and continued to maintain glide airspeed. Shortly after the fuel tank selector was moved, engine power began increasing; however, nearly simultaneously with this restoration of power, the airplane impacted terrain about 900 ft short of the runway threshold. The fuselage and wings sustained substantial damage. The flight instructor reported that fuel was drawn from the left and right main tanks throughout the flight, and the tip tanks were not used before the loss of engine power. The instructor recalled that, during the approach, the left and right main tanks indicated a little less than 10 gallons, and the tip tanks were indicating full; however, the fuel gauges were bobbing throughout the flight. No fuel was observed in either the left main tank or left tip tank at the accident site. About 15 gallons of fuel was drained from the right wingtip tank and about 3 gallons were drained from the right main tank. Examination of the airplane and engine found no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Examination of the fuel system revealed no evidence of blockages. The left main tank was evaluated for any evidence of leakage, and none was observed. The left wingtip tank sustained impact damage and was breached near the leading edge, which likely allowed for its contents to leak at the accident site. The right main and wingtip tanks were undamaged. The airplane owner’s manual stated the pilot should, “Avoid switching tanks at low altitude since little recovery time is available in event of an error in tank selection. To preclude making a hasty decision, and to provide continuity of flow, the selector should be changed before fuel is exhausted from the tank in use.” The owner’s manual further stated that, “The main or tip tank with the highest quantity of fuel should be selected for landing.” It is likely that the pilots’ fuel management during the nearly 2 hour and 30-minute flight resulted in the exhaustion of the left tank fuel supply on final approach at low altitude. Had the tank with the highest quantity of fuel been selected for landing, as recommended by the owner’s manual, the fuel starvation, and subsequent momentary loss of engine power, would have been avoided.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.