Piper PA-28-140 N7586R

Summary

On 9 February 2024 at about 03:05 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N7586R was involved in an accident near Wayside, 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

9 February 2024 at 03:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Wayside, Texas, United States

Coordinates

34.8071, -101.6911

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N7586R

Category

Airplane

Year built

1966

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Duncan → Hereford

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

CEN24LA114

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot’s improper fuel management during the cross-country flight, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot was conducting a solo cross-country flight when the airplane had a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. The pilot reported that he switched fuel tanks but was unable to restore engine power before an off-airport forced landing was made in an open field. The airplane’s left wing sustained substantial damage when it struck a metal fence post during the forced landing. According to the student pilot and fueling documentation, the airplane departed on the cross-country flight with a full fuel load (50 gallons) evenly distributed between the wing fuel tanks. The student pilot stated that he switched fuel tanks every 30 minutes during the estimated 2.4 hour flight. However, after the accident, the right fuel tank was found void of usable fuel, and the left fuel tank remained full. A postaccident operational engine test run did not reveal any mechanical anomalies with the engine. It is likely that the student pilot (who did not have a flight instructor endorsement for the solo cross-country flight) mismanaged the fuel during the flight which resulted in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.