# Accident 20190803014889A: Piper PA-28-235, Jacksonville, FL, August 3, 2019

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 3, 2019, 10:15 local time
- Place: Jacksonville, FL
- Airport: Craig Municipal
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 30.3689° N, 81.5214° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.3689&lon=-81.5214&mi=10
- Aircraft: N951TS, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N951TS-2022-01-08) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-235 (registry code 7102810, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-235) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-540 series (registry code 41532, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28-235
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-540 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN19LA257](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN19LA257) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20190803014889A

## Narrative

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

ON THE MORNING OF AUGUST 3 2019, ^BRETT ARONECK^  PILOT OF N951TS EXECUTED A FORCED LANDING AFTER EXPERIENCING A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE.

APPROXIMATELY 9AM HE PRE-FLIGHTED THE AIRPLANE, CHECKED ALL FLUIDS. THERE WAS FUEL IN ALL FOUR TANKS, WITH APPROXIMATELY 40 GALLONS OF FUEL. THE LEFT MAIN TANK HAD AROUND 15 GALLONS; THE RIGHT MAIN HAD AROUND 13 GALLONS AND THE TIP TANKS WERE SAID TO HAVE MINIMAL FUEL IN EACH AS THEY WERE USED ON HIS PREVIOUS FLIGHT IN MID JULY. HE CONFIRMED ALL FUEL WAS VISUALLY CLEAR OF CONTAMINANTS BY SUMPING EACH TANK AND THEN "HE SET THE FUEL SELECTOR TO THE LEFT MAIN TANK".  UPON CONFIRMING ALL PREFLIGHT CHECKLIST ITEMS COMPLETE,  HE THEN TAXIED TO THE RAMP,  AFTER RECEIVING CLEARANCE FROM GROUND CONTROL, HE TAXIED THE AIRCRAFT TO THE RUN-UP AREA AT RUNWAYS 32 & 23 WHILE COMPLETING THE TAXI CHECKLIST ITEMS. AT THE RUN-UP AREA HE COMPLETED ALL ITEMS ON THE RUN-UP CHECKLIST. ONCE CLEARANCE WAS GRANTED, HE DEPARTED RUNWAY 32

HE COMPLETED HIS FIRST TOUCH AND GO. UPON DEPARTURE OF THE SECOND TOUCH AND GO, HE CLIMBED  TO 450' AND INITIATED HIS RIGHT TURN WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY REDUCING MANIFOLD POWER TO 25" AND THEN REDUCING RPM TO 25; UPON REDUCING THE RPM THE ENGINE LOST ALL POWER OUTPUT AND WAS ALREADY LOSING ALTITUDE. HE MADE A RADIO CALL "N951TS ENGINE FAILURE EMERGENCY". AT THAT MOMENT HE HAD MILL COVE ON HIS LEFT SIDE AND RESIDENTIAL HOMES AND TREES ON HIS RIGHT SIDE-  HE DECIDED  GO FOR THE WATER IN MILL COVE. HE BELIEVES HE VERBALIZED (NOT SURE IF HE PRESSED THE MIC ON THE CONTROL YOKE) THAT HE COULD NOT MAKE THE RETURN AND THAT HE WOULD BE IN THE MARSH.

THE PILOT INADVERTENTLY SELECTED THE WRONG FUEL TANK. THIS MISTAKE RENDERED THE AIRCRAFT POWERLESS, THUS DESTROYING THE AIRCRAFT AS IT CAME TO REST IN A MARSHY AREA IN JACKSONVILLE.

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## 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 CEN19LA257](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN19LA257), Aug 3, 2019: Piper PA28 (N951TS), Jacksonville, FL, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to select a fuel tank with adequate fuel, which resulted in fuel starvation and a total 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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