# Accident 19971220041519A: Piper PA22108, Jackson, NC, December 20, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 20, 1997, 12:23 local time
- Place: Jackson, NC
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.7609° N, 77.3995° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.7609&lon=-77.3995&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5258Z, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5258Z-2001-04-16) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-22-108 (registry code 7102204, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-22-108) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA22108
- Reported engine: LYC O235C1B
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 150 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ATL98LA026](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL98LA026) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19971220041519A

## Narrative

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

ENGINE QUIT ON CLIMBOUT. CRASH LANDED ROUGH TERRAIN. FUEL SELECTOR ON RIGHT TANK. POH STATES SELECTOR TO LEFT TANK. (-23) ON DECEMBER 20, 1997, AT ABOUT 1230 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A PIPER PA-22-108 COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN AND STRUCK STUMPS AND FELLED LOGS SHORTLY AFTER DEPARTURE A PRIVATE, TURF AIRFIELD LOCATED JUST NORTHEAST OF JACKSONVILLE, NC LOCATED NEAR ROUTE 17. STEVEN CECIL POWELL WAS THE OWNER, PILOT AND SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE AIRCRAFT BEING OPERATED UNDER PART 91 OF THE FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATIONS. THE PURPOSE OF THE FLIGHT WAS PERSONAL. DURING AN INTERVIEW WITH INVESTIGATORS, THE PILOT REPORTED THAT SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF THE ENGINE LOST POWER. THIS OCCURRED AT APPROXIMATELY 300 TO 400 FEET AGL. HE FURTHER STIPULATED THAT CONCURRENT WITH THE ENGINE POWER LOSS, SHORTLY AFTER TAKE-OFF, HE REALIZED THAT THE FUEL TANK SELECTOR MIGHT HAVE BEEN IN THE RIGHT TANK POSITION. HE FURTHER CLAIMED THAT HE BELIEVED HE THEN SWITCHED THE FUEL SELECTOR FROM THE RIGHT TANK TO THE LEFT TANK. HOWEVER, HE COULD NOT BE CERTAIN OF THIS. MR. POWELL THEN PITCHED THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT DOWN IN AN EFFORT TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED. HE BELIEVED THE ENGINE THEN QUIT AND THE                                  AIRCRAFT DESCENDED QUICKLY. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED TERRAIN AND CAME TO REST IN THE UPRIGHT POSITION. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND THE PILOT RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. THE SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION AND EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE REVEALED NO PRE-IMPACT ABNORMALITIES. NO EVIDENCE OF FUEL WAS PRESENT IN THE RIGHT SIDE FUEL TANK.

## 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 ATL98LA026](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL98LA026), Dec 20, 1997: Piper PA-22-108 (N5258Z), Jacksonville, NC, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's improper preflight inspection by failing to ensure the fuel selector was properly positioned, which led to fuel starvation, loss of engine power, and a forced landing on rough/uneven…

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.