# Accident 20150102000709A: Piper PA-34-200T, Kuttawa, KY, January 2, 2015

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 2, 2015, 17:55 local time
- Place: Kuttawa, KY
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.0336° N, 88.1689° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.0336&lon=-88.1689&mi=10
- Aircraft: N81291, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N81291-2015-08-28) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-34-200T (registry code 7103406, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-34-200t) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental TSIO-360 series (registry code 17019, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-tsio-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-34-200T
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR TSIO-360-EB
- People aboard: 5
- Fatal injuries: 4
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 2,300 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA15FA088](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA15FA088) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20150102000709A

## Narrative

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

N81291 WAS ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN FROM TALLASSEE, FL EN-ROUTE TO MT. VERNON, IL.  MEMPHIS CENTER RECEIVED A DISTRESS CALL FROM N81291 ADVISING OF ENGINE TROUBLE AND THEN THEY LOST THE AIRCRAFT OFF RADAR APPROXIMATELY 7 MILES EAST OF KY DAM VILLAGE AIRPORT AT 1800 FEET.  MEMPHIS CENTER ADVISED LAST CONTACT WITH AIRCRAFT WAS AT 17:55 CST. AT 18:35CST A 911 CALL WAS RECEIVED BY LYON COUNTY DISPATCH THAT A 7 YEAR OLD GIRL HAD COME TO HIS HOUSE STATING HER PARENTS WERE IN A PLANE CRASH.

AIRCRAFT WAS LOCATED. FOUR FATALITIES. POST CRASH SMALL FIRE.

## 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 ERA15FA088](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA15FA088), Jan 2, 2015: Piper PA34 (N81291), Kuttawa, KY, substantial damage, 4 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to properly set the left engine fuel selector before takeoff and to recognize the incorrect setting during the flight, which resulted in fuel starvation and a loss of engine power…

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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