20050409014499I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-180 · Hillsdale, MI · April 9, 2005

Date: April 9, 2005 · 11:00 local
Place: Hillsdale, MI
Airport: Hillsdale Municipal Airport
Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N9611J
Reported as: Piper PA28180
Reported engine: Lycoming O360A4A
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 317 total165 in this make and model12 in the last 90 days

N9611JRegistered now · Piper PA-28-180S/N 28-3761 · Built 1966 Airframe modelPiper PA-28-180 Engine modelLycoming O&VO-360 seriesReciprocating

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.

(-23) After 30 minutes of cruise flight, the pilot in command privacy data omitted proceeded to switch fuel tanks from the right tank to the left tank by means of the fuel selector valve. After switching the valve, the fuel pressure dropped to zero. The pilot privacy data omitted tried switching fuel tanks again and noticed a decrease in engine power. On approach to Hillsdale airport the engine shutdown, the aircraft clipped the top of a tree and landed approximately 30 feet short of runway 28.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) AFTER 30 MINUTES OF CRUISE FLIGHT, THE PILOT IN COMMAND ^PRIVACY DAT^ PROCEEDED TO SWITCH FUEL TANKS FROM THE RIGHT TANK TO THE LEFT TANK BY MEANS OF THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE. AFTER SWITCHING THE VALVE, THE FUEL PRESSURE DROPPED TO ZERO. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DAT^ TRIED SWITCHING FUEL TANKS AGAIN AND NOTICED A DECREASE IN ENGINE POWER. ON APPROACH TO HILLSDALE AIRPORT THE ENGINE SHUTDOWN, THE AIRCRAFT CLIPPED THE TOP OF A TREE AND LANDED APPROXIMATELY 30 FEET SHORT OF RUNWAY 28.