# Accident 19980405005489A: Piper PA30, Moundsville, WV, April 5, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 5, 1998, 16:38 local time
- Place: Moundsville, WV
- Airport: Marshall County Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.9796° N, 80.7306° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.9796&lon=-80.7306&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7845Y, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N7845Y-1999-02-17) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-30 (registry code 7103002, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-30) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA30
- Reported engine: LYC IO320B1A
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 667 total, 481 in this make and model, 11 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB IAD98FA042](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD98FA042) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980405005489A

## Narrative

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

TOOK OFF 74D TO OBTAIN FUEL AT NEARBY AIRPORT. RAN OUT. PITCHED UP. SPUN. RECOVERED THEN DOVE STRAIGHT IN. (.4)THREE DAYS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT, THE PILOT/OWNER LANDED AT HIS  HOME AIRPORT WHERE NO FUEL WAS AVAILABLE.  THE PILOT REPORTED TO WITNESSES THAT DURING THE FLIGHT HOME HE HAD RUN THE AUXILIARY TANKS EMPTY AND HAD NEARLY EXHAUSTED HIS FUEL SUPPLY.  ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT, THE PILOT RESEARCHED AREA AIRPORTS FOR FUEL PRICES 'CHEAPER' THAN THE NEAREST FUEL STOP, AND STATED HE HAD '...AN HOUR'S WORTH OF FUEL ON BOARD.'  IMMEDIATELY AFTER TAKEOFF, WITNESSES DESCRIBED A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER ON ONE AND THEN BOTH ENGINES.  THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN 3 MILES FROM THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT.  EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED APPROXIMATELY ONE GALLON OF FUEL ON BOARD WITH NO EVIDENCE OF SPILLAGE AT THE SCENE.  BOTH FUEL SELECTORS WERE IN THE 'CROSSFEED' POSITION.  THE FUEL SYSTEM WAS RECENTLY OVERHAULED AND ALL FUEL PUMPS WERE OPERATIONAL.  EXAMINATION OF THE AIRFRAME AND ENGINES REVEALED NO PRE-IMPACT ANOMALIES. EXAMINATION OF FUEL RECORDS AND AIRCRAFT FLIGHT TIMES REVEALED THE AIRPLANE HAD FLOWN APPROXIMATELY 5 HOURS AFTER                                           ITS LAST FUEL SERVICE.

## 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 IAD98FA042](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD98FA042), Apr 5, 1998: Piper PA-30 (N7845Y), Mcmechen, WV, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's inadequate pre-flight planning and preparation which resulted in fuel exhaustion during takeoff.

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.

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