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19980609026169I

Incident
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FAA incident report · Piper PA28180 · Baytown, TX · June 9, 1998

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
June 9, 1998 · 11:50 local
Place
Baytown, TX
Airport
Baytown Airport
Phase of flight
Final Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Aircraft
N8417W
Reported as
Piper PA28180
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
610 total550 in this make and model30 in the last 90 days

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.

Fuel exhaustion after a 2.5 hour flight from prx to efd. While receiving VFR advisories from houston TRACON, the pilot says the engine quit from fuel exhaustion with fuel selector on the right tank. He then switched to the left tank, got the engine running again and advised ATC of his problem and requested a vector to the nearest airport. With assistance from ATC he had located runway 14 at the hpy airport when the engine failed again and he advised ATC that he would not be able to make the runway. The emergency landing was to a section of a 5 lane concrete highway (which at the time had no traffic) and was approximately one mile NE of hpy. On scene inspection showed the tanks were empty, and the fuel gauges read 5 gal and 2 gal. The landing was normal with no damage to the aircraft or other property and no injureies. After a delay of about tow hours, the pilot refueled the aircraft with 20 gallons of aviation fuel, the police then blocked a half mile section of the roadway and the pilot made a normal takeoff enroute to efd.

As the FAA filed it

FUEL EXHAUSTION AFTER A 2.5 HOUR FLIGHT FROM PRX TO EFD. WHILE RECEIVING VFR ADVISORIES FROM HOUSTON TRACON, THE PILOT SAYS THE ENGINE QUIT FROM FUEL EXHAUSTION WITH FUEL SELECTOR ON THE RIGHT TANK. HE THEN SWITCHED TO THE LEFT TANK, GOT THE ENGINE RUNNING AGAIN AND ADVISED ATC OF HIS PROBLEM AND REQUESTED A VECTOR TO THE NEAREST AIRPORT. WITH ASSISTANCE FROM ATC HE HAD LOCATED RUNWAY 14 AT THE HPY AIRPORT WHEN THE ENGINE FAILED AGAIN AND HE ADVISED ATC THAT HE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE THE RUNWAY. THE EMERGENCY LANDING WAS TO A SECTION OF A 5 LANE CONCRETE HIGHWAY (WHICH AT THE TIME HAD NO TRAFFIC) AND WAS APPROXIMATELY ONE MILE NE OF HPY. ON SCENE INSPECTION SHOWED THE TANKS WERE EMPTY, AND THE FUEL GAUGES READ 5 GAL AND 2 GAL. THE LANDING WAS NORMAL WITH NO DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT OR OTHER PROPERTY AND NO INJUREIES. AFTER A DELAY OF ABOUT TOW HOURS, THE PILOT REFUELED THE AIRCRAFT WITH 20 GALLONS OF AVIATION FUEL, THE POLICE THEN BLOCKED A HALF MILE SECTION OF THE ROADWAY AND THE PILOT MADE A NORMAL TAKEOFF ENROUTE TO EFD.