41.8433° N, 89.4775° WPlaced by OpenAirDocs: center of Dixon, IL, within about 6 miles.Open in the map
Date
January 11, 1979 · 17:55 local
Place
Dixon, IL
Phase of flight
Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N8513P
Reported as
Piper PA24400
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
3,551 total2,911 in this make and model0 in the last 90 days
From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Pilot allowed a tank to run dry. Switched tanks, engine did not respond. Apparent vapor lock.
As the FAA filed it
PILOT ALLOWED A TANK TO RUN DRY. SWITCHED TANKS, ENGINE DID NOT RESPOND. APPARENT VAPOR LOCK.