# Accident 20060516012219A: Piper PA28161, Ormond Beach, FL, May 16, 2006

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 16, 2006, 13:15 local time
- Place: Ormond Beach, FL
- Airport: Ormond Beach Municipal Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 29.3114° N, 81.1139° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.3114&lon=-81.1139&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8149Q, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8149Q-2007-10-15) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-161 (registry code 7102803, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-161) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28161
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Student
- Pilot flight hours: 39 total, 39 in this make and model, 39 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA06CA111](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA06CA111) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20060516012219A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) STUDENT PILOT ON FIRST SOLO FLIGHT, AFTER CONDUCTING TWO SUPERVISED CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHTS, THREE TOUCH AND GO'S, AND ONE GO-AROUND, THE INSTRUCTOR DEPARTED AIRCRAFT AND SENT STUDENT OUT TO DO CIRCUIT WORK. DURING CLIMB OUT THE ENGINE QUIT. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED IN AN AREA OF YOUNG PINE TREES, ABOUT 3 TO 4 INCHES IN DIAMETER. FIRST CONTACT WAS THE LEFT WING TIP WHCIH CASUED THE AIRCRAFT TO ROTATE 180 DEGREES OVER THE NEXT 100 FEET. THE AIRCRAFT APPEARS TO HAVE DROPPED STRAIGHT DOWN IN A WINGS LEVEL ATTITUDE AND CAME TO REST ON THE GROUND AMONG THE TREES. THE PROP SHOWED NO EVIDENCE OF ROTATION, THE FLAPS WERE IN THE RETRACTED POSITION. THE LEFT FUEL TANK WAS DRY, THE RIGHT FUEL TANK HAD APPROXIMATELY 5 GALLONS REMAINING. THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS ON THE LEFT TANK. THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED MAJOR DAMAGE TO ALL SURFACES. THE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED. POST CRASH INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT LEFT FUEL GAUGE WAS INOP, READ FULL AT ALL TIMES, DISCOVERED HIGH RESISTANCE IN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR FROM GAUGE TO SENDING UNIT.

## 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 MIA06CA111](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA06CA111), May 16, 2006: Piper PA-28-161 (N8149Q), Ormond Beach, FL, substantial damage. Probable cause: A loss of engine power due to the student pilot's improper positioning of the fuel selector during takeoff. A contributing factor was the pilot's failure to abort the takeoff.

## Other reports on N8149Q (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 20040531030589A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040531030589A), May 31, 2004: Piper PA28161 (N8149Q), St Marys, GA, Substantial damage. (-23) On may 31, 2004, at approximately 1330 UTC, N8149Q reported mayday with an engine failure over cumberland island, 10 miles south of brunswick, Georgia.…

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.

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