# Accident 20070504009889A: Piper PA28181, Las Vegas, NV, May 4, 2007 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: May 4, 2007, 19:50 local time - Place: Las Vegas, NV - Airport: Mc Carran International - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Forced Landing - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 36.0800° N, 115.1522° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.0800&lon=-115.1522&mi=10 - Aircraft: N2834U, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2834U-2013-07-18) (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 - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 323 total, 39 in this make and model, 16 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX07CA151](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX07CA151) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20070504009889A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (-23) INSPECTOR STATEMENT: ON MAY 4, 2007 AT APPROXIMATELY 2045 PDT I ARRIVED AT THE SCENE OF AN AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT AT THE INTERSECTION LAS VEGAS BLVD, AND WARM SPRINGS. PIPER PA-28-181, N2834U, LOST ENGINE POWER WHILE ON APPROACH INTO MCCARRAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, LAS VEGAS, NV RUNWAY 1L. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ATTEMPTED TO REGAIN ENGINE POWER WITHOUT SUCCESS AND DIVERTED HIS APPROACH TO LAND ON THE NORTH BOUND LANE OF LAS VEGAS BLVD. THE AIRCRAFT FIRST STRUCK A VEHICLE SOUTHBOUND IN THE SOUTHBOUND LANE THEN STRUCK A PICKUP TRUCK WITH ITS RIGHT WING THEN STRUCK A CADILLAC ESCALADE AND CAME TO REST WITH SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE PILOT AND PASSENGER OF THE AIRCRAFT EXITED THE AIRCRAFT WITHOUT INJURY. THE RIGHT WING WAS TORN FROM THE AIRCRAFT ON IMPACT WITH THE PICKUP. THE LEFT LANDING GEAR WAS SEVERED ON IMPACT WITH THE CADILLAC. UPON ARRIVAL AT THE SCENE I CONTACTED THE METRO POLICE WHOM HAD ALREADY OBTAINED WITNESS STATEMENTS FROM VICTIMS AND WITNESSES EXCEPT FOR THE PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER. I THEN SURVEYED THE WRECKAGE. THE RIGHT WING DID NOT APPEAR TO HAVE ANY FUEL SPILLAGE NOR ANY FUEL IN THE TANK. THE TANK WAS RUPTURED. THE LEFT WING WAS INTACT AND HAD FUEL. LATER THE RECOVERY CREW REMOVED APPROXIMATELY 10 GALLONS OF FUEL FROM THE LEFT WING. THE FUSELAGE WAS DAMAGED AT THE RIGHT WING ATTACHING POINT BUT THE COCKPIT, ENGINE COMPARTMENT, ENGINE AND PROPELLER WERE INTACT AND APPEARED UNDAMAGED. I THEN OBTAINED A STATEMENT FROM THE PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS ON AN IFR FLIGHT FROM FARMINGTON, NM TO LAS VEGAS, NV. DURING THE FLIGHT HE STATED THAT HE HAD CHANGED FUEL TANKS APPROXIMATELY EVERY HOUR. AT CROWE INTERSECTION ON HIS ARRIVAL TO LAS VEGAS HE SWITCHED FROM THE RIGHT TANK TO THE LEFT TANK. ON TWO MILE FINAL TO RUNWAY 1L THE ENGINE LOST POWER. THERE WAS NO ROUGHNESS, IT JUST REDUCED IN POWER AND KEPT RUNNING WITH THE PROPELLER TURNING. HE ATTEMPTED TO REGAIN POWER BY APPLYING FULL RICH MIXTURE AND FUEL PUMPS ON WITH NEGATIVE RESULTS. AT THIS POINT HE KNEW HE WAS NOT GOING TO MAKE THE RUNWAY AND DECIDED TO LAND INTO A VACANT FIELD ON LAS VEGAS BLVD. HE THEN CHANGED THE FUEL SELECTOR FROM THE LEFT TANK TO THE RIGHT TANK WHICH CAUSED THE ENGINE AND PROPELLER TO STOP. THE WINDS WERE SUCH THAT HE FOUND HE COULD NOT LAND INTO THE FIELD AND THEN ELECTED TO LAND ON LAS VEGAS BLVD. AT THAT TIME THERE WERE NO VEHICLES IN THE NORTHBOUND LANE. JUST PRIOR TO LANDING HE SAW A VEHICLE TURN ONTO THE NORTHBOUND LANE AND WAS UNABLE TO AVOID THE VEHICLES DURING THE CRASH SEQUENCE. JUST PRIOR TO LANDING HE TURNED THE FUEL SELECTOR TO THE OFF POSITION AND ALL SWITCHES OFF EXCEPT RADIOS AND MASTER SWITCH WHICH WERE TURNED OFF AFTER THE AIRCRAFT STOPPED. I OBSERVED ALL SWITCHES AND FUEL SELECTOR OFF ON INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS RECOVERED AND TAKEN TO NORTH LAS VEGAS AIRPORT FOR STORAGE. AN ENGINE RUN UP COULD NOT BE COMPLETED AS YET DUE TO THE RECOVERY/MAINTENACE INDIVIDUAL NOT BEING AVAILABLE. DTERMINATION OF THE ENGINE WILL BE COMPLETED AT A LATER DATE. ON MAY 6, 2007 I MET WITH THE PILOT TO RETRIVE THE AIRCRAFT KEYS. THE PILOT THEN STATED THAT DURING HIS APPROACH INTO LAS VEGAS HE HAD DESCENDED THROUGH LIGHT ICING CONDITIONS AND REMEMBERED THAT HE DID NOT USE CARBURETOR HEAT. HE WAS AT A REDUCED POWER SETTING DURING THE DESCENT. ALSO DURING HIS APPROACH HE AGAIN DID NOT USE CARBURETOR HEAT. INVESTIGATION WILL CONTINUE AND AN AMENDED SUBMITTED. ## 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 LAX07CA151](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX07CA151), May 5, 2007: Piper PA-28-181 (N2834U), Las Vegas, NV, substantial damage. Probable cause: fuel starvation due to the pilot's inadequate fuel system management. 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.