What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) Pilot in command reported fuel exhaustion. Aircraft crashed down in an national forest. No fire. (-4) on January 3, 2000, at 2130 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-24-180, N5703P collided with trees in a heavily wooded area while maneuvering for an emergency landing in cordsville, south carolina. The personal flight was operated by the pilot under the provisions of title 14 CFR part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane was substantially damaged. The air transport pilot and his front seat passenger received fatal injuries; the rear-seated passenger received serious injuries. The flight departed the princeton/rocky hill airport in princeton, new jersey, at 1615. According to the fixed base operator (FBO) at princeton/rocky hill airport, the airplane was topped-off with aviation fuel before the flight departed. The FBO also reported that the pilot had stated that his destination was key west, Florida, and the pilot planned an enroute stop in savannah, georgi a. approx. five hours and fifteen minutes inot the flight, the pilot radioed charleston, Georgia. Approx. five hours and fifteen minutes into the flight, the pilot radioed charleston approach control and requested landing. About two minutes after the intial radio contact, the pilot reported that the airplane had run out of fuel. The approach controller immediately issued the pilot radar vectors to the nearest airport. Seconds later, radio and radar contact was lost. Within about two minutes an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal was reported by another airplane. At approx. 0230, on January 4, 2000, the downed airplane was located by the ground search operation.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) PILOT IN COMMAND REPORTED FUEL EXHAUSTION. AIRCRAFT CRASHED DOWN IN AN NATIONAL FOREST. NO FIRE. (-4) ON JANUARY 3, 2000, AT 2130 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, A PIPER PA-24-180, N5703P COLLIDED WITH TREES IN A HEAVILY WOODED AREA WHILE MANEUVERING FOR AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN CORDSVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA. THE PERSONAL FLIGHT WAS OPERATED BY THE PILOT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 WITH NO FLIGHT PLAN FILED. VISUAL WEATHER CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE AIRPLANE WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. THE AIR TRANSPORT PILOT AND HIS FRONT SEAT PASSENGER RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES; THE REAR-SEATED PASSENGER RECEIVED SERIOUS INJURIES. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED THE PRINCETON/ROCKY HILL AIRPORT IN PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY, AT 1615. ACCORDING TO THE FIXED BASE OPERATOR (FBO) AT PRINCETON/ROCKY HILL AIRPORT, THE AIRPLANE WAS TOPPED-OFF WITH AVIATION FUEL BEFORE THE FLIGHT DEPARTED. THE FBO ALSO REPORTED THAT THE PILOT HAD STATED THAT HIS DESTINATION WAS KEY WEST, FLORIDA, AND THE PILOT PLANNED AN ENROUTE STOP IN SAVANNAH, GEORGI A. APPROX. FIVE HOURS AND FIFTEEN MINUTES INOT THE FLIGHT, THE PILOT RADIOED CHARLESTON, GEORGIA. APPROX. FIVE HOURS AND FIFTEEN MINUTES INTO THE FLIGHT, THE PILOT RADIOED CHARLESTON APPROACH CONTROL AND REQUESTED LANDING. ABOUT TWO MINUTES AFTER THE INTIAL RADIO CONTACT, THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE HAD RUN OUT OF FUEL. THE APPROACH CONTROLLER IMMEDIATELY ISSUED THE PILOT RADAR VECTORS TO THE NEAREST AIRPORT. SECONDS LATER, RADIO AND RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST. WITHIN ABOUT TWO MINUTES AN EMERGENCY LOCATOR TRANSMITTER (ELT) SIGNAL WAS REPORTED BY ANOTHER AIRPLANE. AT APPROX. 0230, ON JANUARY 4, 2000, THE DOWNED AIRPLANE WAS LOCATED BY THE GROUND SEARCH OPERATION.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.