# Accident 19980925040049A: Piper PA24, Lamar, MO, September 25, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 25, 1998, 23:40 local time
- Place: Lamar, MO
- Airport: Lamar Municipal Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Forced Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.4909° N, 94.2709° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.4909&lon=-94.2709&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5029P, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N5029P) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-24 (registry code 7102402, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-24) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA24
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 172 total, 33 in this make and model, 35 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI98LA363](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI98LA363) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980925040049A

## Narrative

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

(-23)FUEL SELECTOR VALVE FOUND IN OFF POSITION. INTERVIEW WITH PILOT REVEALED SHE HAD SWAPPED TANKS, BUT NEITHER SHE OR HER PASSENGER/PILOT TURNED THE FUEL TO OFF CONSCIOUSLY.  REMOVAL OF THE CARBURETOR DRAIN PLUG REVEALED ONLY SEVERAL DROPS OF FUEL LEFT IN THE CARBUETOR BOWL.                      (.4) THE PILOT REPORTED SHE ENTERED THE LANDING PATTERN AND PERFORMED THE PRE-LANDING CHECKLIST. SHE LOWERED THE LANDING GEAR, PULLED CARBURETOR HEAT ON, TURNED THE FUEL PUMP ON, SWITCHED TO THE FULLEST FUEL TANK, AND REDUCED POWER. SHE TURNED FROM BASE TO FINAL AND ADDED A LITTLE POWER, BUT 'THERE WASN'T ANY POWER THERE.' THE SECOND PILOT SWITCHED MAGNETOS AND TRIED TO RESTART THE ENGINE, BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. THE SECOND PILOT TOOK CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE AND TURNED TO THE LEFT TO LAND IN A SOYBEAN FIELD, SINCE THERE WERE POWERLINES AND A RAILROAD TRACK BETWEEN THE AIRPLANE AND THE RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE LANDED IN A LEFT WING LOW ATTITUDE AND THE LEFT WING HIT THE GROUND BEFORE THE AIRPLANE SKIDDED TO A STOP. ALL ENGINE, PROPELLER CONTROLS AND FLIGHT CONTROLS WERE VERIFIED AS BEING INTACT AND OPERABLE. THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS FOUND IN THE OFF POSITION. THE PILOT AND SECOND PILOT WERE ASKED  WHETHER EITHER OF THEM HAD MOVED THE FUEL SELECTOR TO OFF AFTER THE ACCIDENT HAD OCCURRED AND BOTH STATED THEY HAD NOT. THE FUEL DRAIN PLUG FROM THE CARBURETOR WAS REMOVED AND ONLY A TRACE OF FUEL, TWO OR THREE DROPS, CAME OUT.

## 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 CHI98LA363](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI98LA363), Sep 26, 1998: Piper PA-24 (N5029P), Lamar, MO, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot improperly positioned the fuel selector to the closed position causing fuel starvation.

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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