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20150312004029I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-32-300 · Startzville, TX · March 12, 2015

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
March 12, 2015 · 14:30 local
Place
Startzville, TX
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N745AA
Reported as
Piper PA-32-300
Reported engine
Lycoming TI0-540 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
13,480 total22 in this make and model13 in the last 90 days
N745AARegistered now · Piper PA-32-300S/N 32-40449 · Built 1968Airframe modelPiper PA-32-300Engine 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 bulverde airport (1T8) for huber airport (E70) for a passenger pick up stop. Aircraft then departed for a fly over of canyon lake located in comal county Texas. Aircraft altitude was approximatley 2000' MSL. Approaching the west end of the lake, the engine began to surge pilot then swiched on the electric fuel pump which momentarily stopped the surge. Seconds later the engine failed. Pilot then began to look for a suitable landing sight. Pilot spotted a golf course and set up a glide path to the golf course. The aircraft landed on the fairway of the golf course, bounced several times. On last bounce propeller struck the ground causing aircraft to face perpendicular to the landing direction causing the nose gear strut to collapse and brake away from the engine mount. Aircraft then came to rest. Pilot and passenger egressed from aircraft without injury. Further investigation showed there was damage to the right wing leading edge mid way from striking a known object during the landing roll. Cause of the engine failure was determined to be depletion of fuel from pilot operating aircraft with the fuel selector set to left wing tip tank position. Pilot stated he felt the fuel selector was set at the left main tank position and not the left tip tank. Left and right mains and right tip tank were full of fuel at time of crash landing.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT DEPARTED BULVERDE AIRPORT (1T8) FOR HUBER AIRPORT (E70) FOR A PASSENGER PICK UP STOP. AIRCRAFT THEN DEPARTED FOR A FLY OVER OF CANYON LAKE LOCATED IN COMAL COUNTY TEXAS. AIRCRAFT ALTITUDE WAS APPROXIMATLEY 2000' MSL. APPROACHING THE WEST END OF THE LAKE, THE ENGINE BEGAN TO SURGE PILOT THEN SWICHED ON THE ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP WHICH MOMENTARILY STOPPED THE SURGE. SECONDS LATER THE ENGINE FAILED. PILOT THEN BEGAN TO LOOK FOR A SUITABLE LANDING SIGHT. PILOT SPOTTED A GOLF COURSE AND SET UP A GLIDE PATH TO THE GOLF COURSE. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED ON THE FAIRWAY OF THE GOLF COURSE, BOUNCED SEVERAL TIMES. ON LAST BOUNCE PROPELLER STRUCK THE GROUND CAUSING AIRCRAFT TO FACE PERPENDICULAR TO THE LANDING DIRECTION CAUSING THE NOSE GEAR STRUT TO COLLAPSE AND BRAKE AWAY FROM THE ENGINE MOUNT. AIRCRAFT THEN CAME TO REST. PILOT AND PASSENGER EGRESSED FROM AIRCRAFT WITHOUT INJURY. FURTHER INVESTIGATION SHOWED THERE WAS DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT WING LEADING EDGE MID WAY FROM STRIKING A KNOWN OBJECT DURING THE LANDING ROLL. CAUSE OF THE ENGINE FAILURE WAS DETERMINED TO BE DEPLETION OF FUEL FROM PILOT OPERATING AIRCRAFT WITH THE FUEL SELECTOR SET TO LEFT WING TIP TANK POSITION. PILOT STATED HE FELT THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS SET AT THE LEFT MAIN TANK POSITION AND NOT THE LEFT TIP TANK. LEFT AND RIGHT MAINS AND RIGHT TIP TANK WERE FULL OF FUEL AT TIME OF CRASH LANDING.