Piper PA-28-140 N40939

Summary

On 5 September 2024 at about 01:30 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N40939, operated by Grog Holdings LLC, was involved in an accident near Borger, Texas, United States. One person was 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.

Date

5 September 2024 at 01:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Borger, Texas, United States

Coordinates

35.7009, -101.3937

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N40939

Category

Airplane

Year built

1973

Engines

1

Operator

Grog Holdings LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Shawnee → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN24LA339

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inadequate fuel management which led to fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he added fuel, bringing the total fuel capacity to 42 gallons prior to departure. He stated that 4 hours and 6 minutes into the flight the engine began to lose power. He switched fuel tanks and turned on the electric fuel pump but was unable to restore engine power. He landed the airplane in a field and the airplane struck trees and a pole resulting in substantial damage to both wings. The pilot reported that he was about 2 minutes from the destination airport when the power loss occurred. Examination of the airplane after the accident revealed that neither wing fuel tank was compromised, there was no evidence of a fuel leak, and no visible fuel was in either wing fuel tank. ADS-B data showed that the airplane was airborne for 4 hours and 17 minutes as of the last data point received. At that time the airplane was still 36 miles from the destination airport. Based on the airplane’s flight track data it would have required an additional 22 minutes to reach the destination airport. Based on the pilot’s account that the airplane was 2 minutes from the destination, the airplane was airborne for about 4 hours and 37 minutes when the loss of engine power occurred. The pilot did not submit the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report Form 6120.1.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.