20060422007479I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-23-250 · Salem, MO · April 22, 2006

Date: April 22, 2006 · 17:04 local
Place: Salem, MO
Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N62647
Reported as: Piper PA23250
Reported engine: Lycoming TIO540*
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 4,036 total2,307 in this make and model35 in the last 90 days

N62647Registered now · Piper PA-23-250S/N 27-7654112 · Built 1976 Airframe modelPiper PA-23-250 Engine modelLycoming TI0-540 seriesTurbo-prop

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) The pilot stated that he topped off all fuel tanks prior to departing galveston, Texas (gls). While enroute to the spirit of st. louis airport (ksus) he ran out of fuel, experienced engine shutdown due to fuel exhaustion while inflight. The pilot made an emergency landing in a cow pasture. During the rollout on landing the rough texture of the terrain caused the nose landing gear to collapse. Other damage includes the right engine propeller. Post event investigation found that the right inboard fuel cap was missing from the wing, which would have allowed the fuel to siphon out of the tank.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PILOT STATED THAT HE TOPPED OFF ALL FUEL TANKS PRIOR TO DEPARTING GALVESTON, TEXAS (GLS). WHILE ENROUTE TO THE SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS AIRPORT (KSUS) HE RAN OUT OF FUEL, EXPERIENCED ENGINE SHUTDOWN DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION WHILE INFLIGHT. THE PILOT MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A COW PASTURE. DURING THE ROLLOUT ON LANDING THE ROUGH TEXTURE OF THE TERRAIN CAUSED THE NOSE LANDING GEAR TO COLLAPSE. OTHER DAMAGE INCLUDES THE RIGHT ENGINE PROPELLER. POST EVENT INVESTIGATION FOUND THAT THE RIGHT INBOARD FUEL CAP WAS MISSING FROM THE WING, WHICH WOULD HAVE ALLOWED THE FUEL TO SIPHON OUT OF THE TANK.