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20121224028719A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Piper PA-31-350 · Leesburg, FL · December 24, 2012

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
December 24, 2012 · 14:30 local
Place
Leesburg, FL
Airport
Leesburg International
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N78WM
NTSB investigation
NTSBERA13FA096
Reported as
Piper PA-31-350
Reported engine
Lycoming TI0-540 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
1
Other injuries
1
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
3,389 total2,243 in this make and model15 in the last 90 days
N78WMRegistration cancelled Nov 18, 2014 · Piper PA-31-350S/N 31-7952047 · Built 1978Airframe modelPiper PA-31-350Engine 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.

Aircraft departed eagles nest, crescent city Florida, at approximately 14:05 headed to Leesburg regional airport. Aircraft was approximately 12 miles from Leesburg airport when the pilot declared low fuel and requested straight in approach. Tower cleared for straight in runway 13 and to report at one mile final.

Pilot declared one empty tank approximately six miles north of the Leesburg regional airport. Tower cleared pilot to land aircraft on runway 13.

Less than one minute later, pilot declared, "Leesburg we're out of gas, navajo is going in." The pilot suffered fatal injuries upon impact with terrain.

A post accident inspection of the accident area revealed there was no fuel on the ground where the aircraft first struck, the area where the aircraft slid or where the aircraft came to rest. There were no post accident fires. Photographs taken of the fuel gauges showed the left indicator was reading over full and the right indicator was reading over one quarter of a tank without power applied to the aircraft. Opening the fuel tank caps and performing a visual check of the fuel tanks revealed no fuel. The NTSB iic's trainee from the NTSB along with a technician from Piper processed the aircraft at professional aircraft salvage to find continuity in the control cables from the cockpit to the tail, and throughout the wings. They also found good compression by performing a thumb compression test on all cylinders for both engines and they were able to verify crankshaft and valve train continuity. They removed the fuel quantity senders and retained them pending resistive check information from Piper.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT DEPARTED EAGLES NEST, CRESCENT CITY FLORIDA, AT APPROXIMATELY 14:05 HEADED TO LEESBURG REGIONAL AIRPORT. AIRCRAFT WAS APPROXIMATELY 12 MILES FROM LEESBURG AIRPORT WHEN THE PILOT DECLARED LOW FUEL AND REQUESTED STRAIGHT IN APPROACH. TOWER CLEARED FOR STRAIGHT IN RUNWAY 13 AND TO REPORT AT ONE MILE FINAL.

PILOT DECLARED ONE EMPTY TANK APPROXIMATELY SIX MILES NORTH OF THE LEESBURG REGIONAL AIRPORT. TOWER CLEARED PILOT TO LAND AIRCRAFT ON RUNWAY 13.

LESS THAN ONE MINUTE LATER, PILOT DECLARED, "LEESBURG WE'RE OUT OF GAS, NAVAJO IS GOING IN." THE PILOT SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES UPON IMPACT WITH TERRAIN.

A POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION OF THE ACCIDENT AREA REVEALED THERE WAS NO FUEL ON THE GROUND WHERE THE AIRCRAFT FIRST STRUCK, THE AREA WHERE THE AIRCRAFT SLID OR WHERE THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST. THERE WERE NO POST ACCIDENT FIRES. PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN OF THE FUEL GAUGES SHOWED THE LEFT INDICATOR WAS READING OVER FULL AND THE RIGHT INDICATOR WAS READING OVER ONE QUARTER OF A TANK WITHOUT POWER APPLIED TO THE AIRCRAFT. OPENING THE FUEL TANK CAPS AND PERFORMING A VISUAL CHECK OF THE FUEL TANKS REVEALED NO FUEL. THE NTSB IIC'S TRAINEE FROM THE NTSB ALONG WITH A TECHNICIAN FROM PIPER PROCESSED THE AIRCRAFT AT PROFESSIONAL AIRCRAFT SALVAGE TO FIND CONTINUITY IN THE CONTROL CABLES FROM THE COCKPIT TO THE TAIL, AND THROUGHOUT THE WINGS. THEY ALSO FOUND GOOD COMPRESSION BY PERFORMING A THUMB COMPRESSION TEST ON ALL CYLINDERS FOR BOTH ENGINES AND THEY WERE ABLE TO VERIFY CRANKSHAFT AND VALVE TRAIN CONTINUITY. THEY REMOVED THE FUEL QUANTITY SENDERS AND RETAINED THEM PENDING RESISTIVE CHECK INFORMATION FROM PIPER.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB ERA13FA096Accident · 1 fatalField investigationFinal reportLeesburg, FLThe pilot's inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a subsequent total loss of power in both engines during cruise flight. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s use of prescription and illicit drugs, which likely impaired…Dec 24, 2012 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N78WM · 1

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

Incident 19940331016659IGround Taxi, Other Airplane · Alexandria, LAFire exiting the cowling while taxiing to ramp. Shut engine down. Found crack in exhaust manifold.Mar 31, 1994 · Minor damage