What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Mr. Hohn thomas bouley, FAA private pilot certificate #2713560, was operating a Piper PA-24-140 aircraft on an IFR flight plan from ellington, CT &7B9) to Meadville, PA (gkj). The IFR flight plan was filed for 5 hours enroute with an IAS of 90 KTS. The pilot stated that he had 50 gallons of fuel onboard the aircraft which should have given him 6 hours of endurance for a fuel burn rate of 8.3 gallons per hour (questionable). After being airborne for 5 hours and 21 minutes and 2.5 miles from the airport at an altitude of 3200 feet, the engine quit. The pilot stated he tried to restart the engine, but the engine would not start. privacy data omitted A witness to this accident, stated he did not hear or see the propeller turning when the airplane hit the trees. As the aircraft was descending without power on a heading between 070°-090°, the right wing collided with a tree approximately 60 feet above the ground causing the aircraft to twist and pitch nose down vertically striking the ground with the propeller and engine absorbing the impact of the crash. After the impact with the ground, the aircraft fell over on the main landing gear causing 3-4 inches depression in the soil from the tires of the main landing gear hitting the ground. The aircraft was heading 340° when it finally came to rest. The outboard side of the right wing was reipped and torn from the collision with the tree. There are a few puncture marks under the right wing near the main landing gear attachment points; these were caused from branches of the tree. The nose and cabin of the aircraft were crushed, and all of the plexiglass in the windows was shattered. The left wing, aft fuselage, vertical fain, and elevator stabilzyor sustained no visible damage. After the crash, the pilot exited the airacraft and was treated by paramedics at the scene and taken to the Meadville hospital by ambulance where he was treated for minor injures and released.. Our inspectio of the wreckage revealed no smell of signs of fuel leakage at the site. All flight, engine, and fuel controls were checked for continuity and appeared to be working normally with no visible defects. The main landing gear wheels were inspected and appeared normal with no visible defects. The fuel tanks were dip-stick tested for fuel; the left and right tanks were bone dry and empty. The fuel bowl assembly was removed and indicaated less than a teaspoon of fuel. The fule lines were also checked and were dry without any fuel in the lines. The propeller has no marks of rotation, and it appears the engine was not running. The propeller was pulled through, and you could hear the magnetos crack or pop. A few spark plugs were pulled and they appeared normal. The pilot stated he will voluntarily surrender his pilot certificate until he is reeamined in accordance with title 49 CFR 44709.
As the FAA filed it
MR. HOHN THOMAS BOULEY, FAA PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE #2713560, WAS OPERATING A PIPER PA-24-140 AIRCRAFT ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN FROM ELLINGTON, CT &7B9) TO MEADVILLE, PA (GKJ). THE IFR FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR 5 HOURS ENROUTE WITH AN IAS OF 90 KTS. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD 50 GALLONS OF FUEL ONBOARD THE AIRCRAFT WHICH SHOULD HAVE GIVEN HIM 6 HOURS OF ENDURANCE FOR A FUEL BURN RATE OF 8.3 GALLONS PER HOUR (QUESTIONABLE). AFTER BEING AIRBORNE FOR 5 HOURS AND 21 MINUTES AND 2.5 MILES FROM THE AIRPORT AT AN ALTITUDE OF 3200 FEET, THE ENGINE QUIT. THE PILOT STATED HE TRIED TO RESTART THE ENGINE, BUT THE ENGINE WOULD NOT START. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ A WITNESS TO THIS ACCIDENT, STATED HE DID NOT HEAR OR SEE THE PROPELLER TURNING WHEN THE AIRPLANE HIT THE TREES. AS THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESCENDING WITHOUT POWER ON A HEADING BETWEEN 070°-090°, THE RIGHT WING COLLIDED WITH A TREE APPROXIMATELY 60 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO TWIST AND PITCH NOSE DOWN VERTICALLY STRIKING THE GROUND WITH THE PROPELLER AND ENGINE ABSORBING THE IMPACT OF THE CRASH. AFTER THE IMPACT WITH THE GROUND, THE AIRCRAFT FELL OVER ON THE MAIN LANDING GEAR CAUSING 3-4 INCHES DEPRESSION IN THE SOIL FROM THE TIRES OF THE MAIN LANDING GEAR HITTING THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT WAS HEADING 340° WHEN IT FINALLY CAME TO REST. THE OUTBOARD SIDE OF THE RIGHT WING WAS REIPPED AND TORN FROM THE COLLISION WITH THE TREE. THERE ARE A FEW PUNCTURE MARKS UNDER THE RIGHT WING NEAR THE MAIN LANDING GEAR ATTACHMENT POINTS; THESE WERE CAUSED FROM BRANCHES OF THE TREE. THE NOSE AND CABIN OF THE AIRCRAFT WERE CRUSHED, AND ALL OF THE PLEXIGLASS IN THE WINDOWS WAS SHATTERED. THE LEFT WING, AFT FUSELAGE, VERTICAL FAIN, AND ELEVATOR STABILZYOR SUSTAINED NO VISIBLE DAMAGE. AFTER THE CRASH, THE PILOT EXITED THE AIRACRAFT AND WAS TREATED BY PARAMEDICS AT THE SCENE AND TAKEN TO THE MEADVILLE HOSPITAL BY AMBULANCE WHERE HE WAS TREATED FOR MINOR INJURES AND RELEASED.. OUR INSPECTIO OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED NO SMELL OF SIGNS OF FUEL LEAKAGE AT THE SITE. ALL FLIGHT, ENGINE, AND FUEL CONTROLS WERE CHECKED FOR CONTINUITY AND APPEARED TO BE WORKING NORMALLY WITH NO VISIBLE DEFECTS. THE MAIN LANDING GEAR WHEELS WERE INSPECTED AND APPEARED NORMAL WITH NO VISIBLE DEFECTS. THE FUEL TANKS WERE DIP-STICK TESTED FOR FUEL; THE LEFT AND RIGHT TANKS WERE BONE DRY AND EMPTY. THE FUEL BOWL ASSEMBLY WAS REMOVED AND INDICAATED LESS THAN A TEASPOON OF FUEL. THE FULE LINES WERE ALSO CHECKED AND WERE DRY WITHOUT ANY FUEL IN THE LINES. THE PROPELLER HAS NO MARKS OF ROTATION, AND IT APPEARS THE ENGINE WAS NOT RUNNING. THE PROPELLER WAS PULLED THROUGH, AND YOU COULD HEAR THE MAGNETOS CRACK OR POP. A FEW SPARK PLUGS WERE PULLED AND THEY APPEARED NORMAL. THE PILOT STATED HE WILL VOLUNTARILY SURRENDER HIS PILOT CERTIFICATE UNTIL HE IS REEAMINED IN ACCORDANCE WITH TITLE 49 CFR 44709.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.