# Accident 19960510010279A: Piper PA28140, Claude, TX, May 10, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 10, 1996, 12:56 local time
- Place: Claude, TX
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.1006° N, 101.3600° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.1006&lon=-101.3600&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7426R, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N7426R-1998-01-07) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-140 (registry code 7102802, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-140) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28140
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW96LA206](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW96LA206) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960510010279A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

AIRCRAFT WAS BEING VECTORED TO AMARILLO, REPORTED FUEL EXHAUSTION , EMERGENCY LANDING IN A FIELD, FLIPPED OVER. (-23) ON MAY 10, 1996, AT 1256 CENTRAL, PIPER PA-28-140, N7426R, MADE A FORCED LANDING NEAR CLAUDE, TEXAS. THE AIRPLANE WAS OPERATED BY A PRIVATE PILOT/OWNER UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND A FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE PILOT AND PASSENGER SUFFERED ONLY MINOR INJURIES AND WERE RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL LATER IN THE AFTERNOON ON MAY 10. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED IN LUFKIN, TEXAS. IN AN INTERVIEW WITH THE FAA/IIC THE PILOT STATED HE HAD RUN ONE TANK EMPTY AND SWITCHED TO THE OTHER TANK THINKING IT HAD FIVE OR SIX GALLONS; HOWEVER, THE ENGINE QUIT. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED IN A PLOWED FIELD BREAKING OFF THE NOSE GEAR. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST INVERTED. INSPECTION AT THE CRASH SITE REVEALED THE FUEL TANKS WERE BOTH EMPTY.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB FTW96LA206](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW96LA206), May 10, 1996: Piper PA-28-140 (N7426R), Claude, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's improper planning/decision, which resulted in fuel exhaustion due to an inadequate supply of fuel. Soft terrain was a related factor concerning nose over in the emergency landing area.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.