# Accident 20101201053399A: Piper PA-28-181, Surprise, AZ, December 1, 2010

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 1, 2010, 10:30 local time
- Place: Surprise, AZ
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: Pilot school (Part 141)
- Operator: FQAS
- Location: 33.7903° N, 112.4828° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.7903&lon=-112.4828&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4122F (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28-181
- Reported engine: LYCOMING O-360
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Student
- Pilot flight hours: 60 total, 60 in this make and model, 60 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR11LA067](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR11LA067) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20101201053399A

## Narrative

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

THE AIRCRAFT MADE A FORCED LANDING IN A FIELD 15 MILES N. LUKE AFB.  THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS ON THE ABANDONED CHRYSLER PROVING GROUNDS IN SURPRISE AZ.. THE FIRST GROUND SCAR FROM NOSE GEAR WAS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET FROM WHERE THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF A WASH THE AIRCRAFT HAD TRANSITIONED.  TWO OTHER GROUND IMPACT SCARS FROM THE LEFT AND RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR WHERE LOCATED 5-10 FEET IN FRONT OF THE INITIAL IMPACT ON THE SAME SIDE OF A WASH. THE NOSE GEAR WAS FOUND AT THE VERY EDGE OF A WASH THE AIRCRAFT FLEW OVER, WITH ADDITIONAL IMPACT MARKS IN THE SIDE OF THE WASH  THE LEFT MAIN GEAR WAS LOCATED BEHIND THE LEFT WING JUST IN FRONT OF THE STABILIZER AND THE RIGHT GEAR WAS FOLDED UNDER THE RIGHT WING. THE RIGHT WING STRUCK AN IRON WOOD TREE AND CAUSED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT WING. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST AT A HEADING OF 270 DEGREES APPROXIMATELY 30' PAST A DEEP WASH IT FLEW OVER.THIS INSPECTOR FOUND ALL THE ELECTRICAL SWITCHES WERE MOVED TO THE OFF POSITION AND WAS ABLE TO CONFIRM BY INTERVIEWING WITNESSES THE PHOENIX FIRE DEPART HELICOPTER FIRST RESPONDERS TURNED THE SWITCHES OFF.  THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS FOUND ON THE RIGHT TANK.WHEN THE AIRCRAFT WAS LIFTED BY "AIR TRANSPORT" THE FUEL TANKS WERE INSPECTED.  THE RIGHT TANK WAS NOT BREACHED BUT CONTAINED NO FUEL.  THE LEFT FUEL TANKS DRAIN HAD BEEN DAMAGED DURING THE CRASH SEQUENCE.  NO FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE TANK HOWEVER THE GROUND BELOW THE DAMAGED FUEL DRAIN WAS SMELLED OF FUEL AND WAS WET FOR SEVERAL INCHES DOWN AND COVERED AT LEAST A 12" DIAMETER AREA.THE AIRCRAFT WAS BROUGHT TO AIR TRANSPORTS YARD IN PHOENIX, AZ.  WHEN FUEL SYSTEM  WAS PLUMBED INTO THE RIGHT AND LEFT SIDES OF THE AIRCRAFT FUEL SYSTEM THE ENGINE RAN NORMALLY THROUGH ALL POWER SETTINGS AND RANGES.

## 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 WPR11LA067](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR11LA067), Dec 1, 2010: Piper PA 28-181 (N4122F), Wittmann, AZ, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s improper fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

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.