20200224002229I

Incident · No damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-161 · Corning, AR · February 24, 2020

Date: February 24, 2020 · 12:30 local
Place: Corning, AR
Airport: Corning Municipal
Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: No damage
Aircraft: N821BE
Reported as: Piper PA-28-161
Reported engine: Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 163 total100 in this make and model27 in the last 90 days

N821BERegistered now · Piper PA-28-161S/N 28-7816398 · Built 1978 Airframe modelPiper PA-28-161 Engine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

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.

On February 24, 2020 a Piper PA28 flown by a non-instrument rated private pilot got stuck above a cloud deck while enroute from Texas to Ohio. Airman stated that the original plan was to stop for fuel in benton, AR (ksuz) but due to favorable tailwinds he elected to continue to paragould, AR (kpgr). Enroute the weather deteriorated and the airman was unable to find a VMC hole in the cloud deck. Airman contacted memphis artccc and requested help to the nearest VFR airport. During this time the airman noticed that he was running low on fuel and passed this information to memphis center. Memphis center declared an emergency for the airman due to the low fuel state and no VFR condition airports within range of the aircraft. A CFI rated controller was able to talk the airman to the ground by performing a GPS approach at Corning, AR (4M9).

As the FAA filed it

ON FEBRUARY 24, 2020 A PIPER PA28 FLOWN BY A NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PRIVATE PILOT GOT STUCK ABOVE A CLOUD DECK WHILE ENROUTE FROM TEXAS TO OHIO. AIRMAN STATED THAT THE ORIGINAL PLAN WAS TO STOP FOR FUEL IN BENTON, AR (KSUZ) BUT DUE TO FAVORABLE TAILWINDS HE ELECTED TO CONTINUE TO PARAGOULD, AR (KPGR). ENROUTE THE WEATHER DETERIORATED AND THE AIRMAN WAS UNABLE TO FIND A VMC HOLE IN THE CLOUD DECK. AIRMAN CONTACTED MEMPHIS ARTCCC AND REQUESTED HELP TO THE NEAREST VFR AIRPORT. DURING THIS TIME THE AIRMAN NOTICED THAT HE WAS RUNNING LOW ON FUEL AND PASSED THIS INFORMATION TO MEMPHIS CENTER. MEMPHIS CENTER DECLARED AN EMERGENCY FOR THE AIRMAN DUE TO THE LOW FUEL STATE AND NO VFR CONDITION AIRPORTS WITHIN RANGE OF THE AIRCRAFT. A CFI RATED CONTROLLER WAS ABLE TO TALK THE AIRMAN TO THE GROUND BY PERFORMING A GPS APPROACH AT CORNING, AR (4M9).