What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Pilot advised that the acft lost engine power and crashed. (.19)on November 7, 1998, about 1708 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-28-151, N44240, registered to p & n corporation, collided with trees and an apartment building during an emergency descent for a forced landing near the Lovell Field, Chattanooga, Tennessee. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR part 91 personal flight. The airplane was substantially damaged and the private-rated pilot, and one passenger sustained minor injuries. One passenger was not injured. The time of departure from the evansville regional airport, evansville, Indiana, has not been determined. The pilot stated that the flight was about 20 miles from the destination airport when he contacted approach control then completed the landing checklist, which included turning on the auxiliary fuel pump. The flight continued and while descending through 1,400 feet MSL with the engine just above idle, he applied power to level off, but the engine quit. He attempted to restart the engine but was unable and declared an emergency. While descending, the propeller stopped and with 10 degrees of flaps extended, both wings collided with trees about 25 feet AGL. The airplane then yawed to the right, descended, collided with the side of the apartment building, then came to rest adjacent to it with both wings nearly separated. (.4) the pilot did not obtain a preflight weather briefing or determine the true airspeed for the 593 statute mile 2 leg cross country flight; he assumed indicated airspeed was the ground speed. The flight departed on the first flight with fuel tanks slightly less than full and arrived uneventfully 3.5 hours later. Fuel was not purchased and the flight departed on the second leg. While near the destination airport, the engine quit due to fuel exhaustion. At that time the fuel gauges each indicated approximately 2-3 gallons remaining. While descending for the forced landing, the airplane collided with trees then the ground. Examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of fuel leakage in flight. Approximately 4 ounces of fuel were drained from the carburetor and from the gascolator. Fuel lines in the engine compartment were empty. Approximately 1/2 ounce of fuel was drained from the right wing fuel tank. No engine failure or malfunction note d. the pilot further stated that during the entire flight time, the mixture control was in the full rich position. Fuel consumption calculations performed for the flight by FAA personnel revealed 47.79 gallons of fuel used out of a total of 48 gallons of usable fuel. (-23) on approach to land at cha rwy 20, aircraft lost power, then the engine quit and plane crashed into trees.
As the FAA filed it
PILOT ADVISED THAT THE ACFT LOST ENGINE POWER AND CRASHED. (.19)ON NOVEMBER 7, 1998, ABOUT 1708 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, A PIPER PA-28-151, N44240, REGISTERED TO P & N CORPORATION, COLLIDED WITH TREES AND AN APARTMENT BUILDING DURING AN EMERGENCY DESCENT FOR A FORCED LANDING NEAR THE LOVELL FIELD, CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE 14 CFR PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT. THE AIRPLANE WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED AND THE PRIVATE-RATED PILOT, AND ONE PASSENGER SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. ONE PASSENGER WAS NOT INJURED. THE TIME OF DEPARTURE FROM THE EVANSVILLE REGIONAL AIRPORT, EVANSVILLE, INDIANA, HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE FLIGHT WAS ABOUT 20 MILES FROM THE DESTINATION AIRPORT WHEN HE CONTACTED APPROACH CONTROL THEN COMPLETED THE LANDING CHECKLIST, WHICH INCLUDED TURNING ON THE AUXILIARY FUEL PUMP. THE FLIGHT CONTINUED AND WHILE DESCENDING THROUGH 1,400 FEET MSL WITH THE ENGINE JUST ABOVE IDLE, HE APPLIED POWER TO LEVEL OFF, BUT THE ENGINE QUIT. HE ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE ENGINE BUT WAS UNABLE AND DECLARED AN EMERGENCY. WHILE DESCENDING, THE PROPELLER STOPPED AND WITH 10 DEGREES OF FLAPS EXTENDED, BOTH WINGS COLLIDED WITH TREES ABOUT 25 FEET AGL. THE AIRPLANE THEN YAWED TO THE RIGHT, DESCENDED, COLLIDED WITH THE SIDE OF THE APARTMENT BUILDING, THEN CAME TO REST ADJACENT TO IT WITH BOTH WINGS NEARLY SEPARATED. (.4) THE PILOT DID NOT OBTAIN A PREFLIGHT WEATHER BRIEFING OR DETERMINE THE TRUE AIRSPEED FOR THE 593 STATUTE MILE 2 LEG CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT; HE ASSUMED INDICATED AIRSPEED WAS THE GROUND SPEED. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED ON THE FIRST FLIGHT WITH FUEL TANKS SLIGHTLY LESS THAN FULL AND ARRIVED UNEVENTFULLY 3.5 HOURS LATER. FUEL WAS NOT PURCHASED AND THE FLIGHT DEPARTED ON THE SECOND LEG. WHILE NEAR THE DESTINATION AIRPORT, THE ENGINE QUIT DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION. AT THAT TIME THE FUEL GAUGES EACH INDICATED APPROXIMATELY 2-3 GALLONS REMAINING. WHILE DESCENDING FOR THE FORCED LANDING, THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH TREES THEN THE GROUND. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF FUEL LEAKAGE IN FLIGHT. APPROXIMATELY 4 OUNCES OF FUEL WERE DRAINED FROM THE CARBURETOR AND FROM THE GASCOLATOR. FUEL LINES IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WERE EMPTY. APPROXIMATELY 1/2 OUNCE OF FUEL WAS DRAINED FROM THE RIGHT WING FUEL TANK. NO ENGINE FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION NOTE D. THE PILOT FURTHER STATED THAT DURING THE ENTIRE FLIGHT TIME, THE MIXTURE CONTROL WAS IN THE FULL RICH POSITION. FUEL CONSUMPTION CALCULATIONS PERFORMED FOR THE FLIGHT BY FAA PERSONNEL REVEALED 47.79 GALLONS OF FUEL USED OUT OF A TOTAL OF 48 GALLONS OF USABLE FUEL. (-23) ON APPROACH TO LAND AT CHA RWY 20, AIRCRAFT LOST POWER, THEN THE ENGINE QUIT AND PLANE CRASHED INTO TREES.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.