19961005031039A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Piper PA-16 · Silver Lake, IN · October 5, 1996

Date: October 5, 1996 · 13:10 local
Place: Silver Lake, IN
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N5749H
NTSB investigation: NTSBCHI97LA003
Reported as: Piper PA16
Fatal injuries: 0

N5749HRegistration cancelled Jul 15, 2013 · Piper PA-16S/N 16-360 · Built 1949 Airframe modelPiper PA-16 Engine modelLycoming 0-290 series4 cycle

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.

While circling town lost power. Hit tree. Crashed in city street. Fuel selector on empty tank. Failed to switch. (-23) the aircraft departed ames, Iowa, enroute to warsaw, Indiana. While circling the town of Silver Lake, with the fuel selector on the wing tank with the least fuel, engine lost power. Aircraft continued the turn toward the center of town, hit a spruce tree and crashed in the street and came to rest next to a house. The pilot and the passenger received serious injuries and the aircraft was destroyed. The accident occurred at Silver Lake, Indiana about 13:10 local time.

As the FAA filed it

WHILE CIRCLING TOWN LOST POWER. HIT TREE. CRASHED IN CITY STREET. FUEL SELECTOR ON EMPTY TANK. FAILED TO SWITCH. (-23) THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED AMES, IOWA, ENROUTE TO WARSAW, INDIANA. WHILE CIRCLING THE TOWN OF SILVER LAKE, WITH THE FUEL SELECTOR ON THE WING TANK WITH THE LEAST FUEL, ENGINE LOST POWER. AIRCRAFT CONTINUED THE TURN TOWARD THE CENTER OF TOWN, HIT A SPRUCE TREE AND CRASHED IN THE STREET AND CAME TO REST NEXT TO A HOUSE. THE PILOT AND THE PASSENGER RECEIVED SERIOUS INJURIES AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED AT SILVER LAKE, INDIANA ABOUT 13:10 LOCAL TIME.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB CHI97LA003Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportSilver Lake, INfuel starvation due to an inadequate preflight and the pilot performed a low altitude maneuver which prevented him from selecting suitable terrain for landing. Additional factors included the loose fuel cap, fuel siphoning, and unreliable fuel gauges.Oct 5, 1996 · Destroyed