19970624015459A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-28-181 · Walls, MS · June 24, 1997

Date: June 24, 1997 · 13:01 local
Place: Walls, MS
Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N3692M
NTSB investigation: NTSBMIA97LA194
Reported as: Piper PA28181
Reported engine: Lycoming O360A4M
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 309 total20 in this make and model37 in the last 90 days

N3692MRegistration cancelled Mar 22, 2001 · Piper PA-28-181S/N 28-7790585 Airframe modelPiper PA-28-181

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.

Lost power near destination. Clipped tree tops landing. Impacted field hard. Fuel tanks empty. Carb defect used. Fu (-23) during descent to the Walls Mississippi airport, due to fuel gauges showing lower than expected after a 4 hour flight, the engine lost power and could not be restarted. Post accident examination showed the fuel tanks to be empty and fuel gauges at zero.

As the FAA filed it

LOST POWER NEAR DESTINATION. CLIPPED TREE TOPS LANDING. IMPACTED FIELD HARD. FUEL TANKS EMPTY. CARB DEFECT USED. FU (-23) DURING DESCENT TO THE WALLS MISSISSIPPI AIRPORT, DUE TO FUEL GAUGES SHOWING LOWER THAN EXPECTED AFTER A 4 HOUR FLIGHT, THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND COULD NOT BE RESTARTED. POST ACCIDENT EXAMINATION SHOWED THE FUEL TANKS TO BE EMPTY AND FUEL GAUGES AT ZERO.

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 MIA97LA194Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportWalls, MSThe poor in-flight planning by the pilot for her failure to divert to an alternate airport after recognizing that a low fuel quantity state existed when preflight and in-flight planning revealed sufficient fuel for the flight. Contributing to the accident was…Jun 24, 1997 · Substantial damage