# Accident 19991202044899A: Piper PA28181, Palo Alto, CA, December 2, 1999 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: December 2, 1999, 11:24 local time - Place: Palo Alto, CA - Airport: Palo Alto Airport-Santa Clara Cou - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Touch And Go Landing - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 37.4498° N, 122.0996° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.4498&lon=-122.0996&mi=10 - Aircraft: N4319Y, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N4319Y) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Piper PA-28-181 (registry code 7102807, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-181) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series (registry code 41514, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA28181 - Reported engine: LYC O360* - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 920 total, 28 in this make and model, 44 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX00LA067](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX00LA067) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19991202044899A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (-23) ON DECEMBER 2, 1999 AT 0736 PST N4319Y A PIPER PA-28-180 DEAPRTED CARLSBAD PALOMAR AIRPORT (CRQ) ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN TO PALO ALTO, CA(PAO). THE A/C DEPARTED CARLSBAD PALOMAR AIRPORT WITH FULL FUEL TANKS. PILOT CANCELLED IFR FLIGHT PLAN NORTH OF THE GORMAN VOR THEN PROCEEDED VFR UNTIL SOUTH OF SAN JOSE, CA THEN REQUESTED IFR FLIGHT PLAN DUE TO CLOUDS IN THE BAY AREA. AT THIS TIME PILOT REPORTED MINIMUM FUEL TO BAY AREA TRACON FACILITY. PALO ALTO TRAFFIC WAS USING RUNWAY 12. PILOT REQUESTED LANDING CLEARANCE FOR RUNWAY 30 AND WAS APPROVED. A/C MADE STRAIGHT IN APPROACH TO RUNWAY 30 AT EXCESSIVE AIR SPEED AND ABOVE NORMAL GLIDE PATH. PILOT ELECTED TO GO AROUND, DURING THE TURN BACK TO LAND ON RUNWAY 12 PILOT FORCE LANDED ON SHORE LINE ONE HALF MILE FROM RUNWAY 12 AT 1124 PST. A/C SUBSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE. NO INJURIES TO THE TWO OCCUPANTS. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. (.4)PRIOR TO DEPARTURE TO RETURN TO HOME BASE, THE PILOT FILED AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN, CONDUCTED A PREFLIGHT, AND HAD THE FUEL TANKS TOPPED OFF. HE FLEW ON THE LEFT FUEL TANK FOR APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR AND THEN SWITCHED TO THE RIGH T FUEL TANK. UPON REACHING HIS DESTINATION HE NOTED MULTIPLE CLOUD LAYERS, AND REQUESTED AND RECEIVED AN IFR CLEARANCE TO HIS DESTINATION AIRPORT. ABOUT AN HOUR LATER HE SWITCHED BACK TO THE LEFT FUEL TANK. HE NOTED A DROP TO ZERO IN THE LEFT FUEL GAGE ABOUT 45 MINUTES LATER, AND SWITCHED TO THE RIGHT TANK, WHERE HE NOTED THAT THE FUEL GAGE READ 5 GALLONS. HE SWITCHED BACK TO THE LEFT TANK AND THE ENGINE STOPPED; HE SWITCHED BACK TO THE RIGHT TANK AND THE ENGINE RESTARTED. HE DECLARED MINIMUM FUEL AND RECEIVED INFORMATION ON NEARBY AIRPORTS; ONE 7 MILES IN HIS DIRECTION OF FLIGHT, AND HIS DESTINATION AIRPORT WAS 11 MILES IN HIS DIRECTION OF FLIGHT. HE CONTINUED THE FLIGHT TO THE DESTINATION AIRPORT IN ORDER TO LOSE ALTITUDE. HE WAS AT 4,000 FEET, AND TRAFFIC PATTERN ALTITUDE IS 800 FEET. HE REQUESTED A STRAIGHT IN TO A RUNWAY 30 EVEN THOUGH 12 WAS THE ACTIVE RUNWAY. ON SHORT FINAL, HE INITIATED A GO-AROUND DUE TO HIGH SPEED, AND HIGH ALTITUDE. DURING THE TURN BACK TO THE RUNWAY THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND LANDED IN A MARSHY AREA. THERE WAS NO FUEL OBSERVED IN THE TANKS DURING THE RECOVERY OF THE AIRPLANE. DURING THE ENGINE EXAMINATION IT WAS NOTED THAT WERE WAS NO FUEL STAINING OBSERVED ON THE WINGS OR FUSELAGE OF THE AIRPLANE, AND THERE WERE NO LEAKS IN THE FUEL SYSTEM. NO DISCREPANCIES WERE NOTED WITH THE RUN-UP. ## 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 LAX00LA067](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX00LA067), Dec 2, 1999: Piper PA-28-181 (N4319Y), Palo Alto, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The failure of the pilot to properly calculate fuel consumption rate, and his improper in-flight planning to continue the flight to the destination airport instead of landing at a closer alternate… ## Other reports on N4319Y (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 19960330009819I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960330009819I), Mar 30, 1996: Piper PA28181 (N4319Y), San Jose, CA, Minor damage. Narrative: the pilot: Ms. Linda bridwell lait stated that on March 30, 1996, at 1355 PST, Cessna aircraft, registration number N4319Y, was on short final… 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.