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20230824014379I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-30 · Visalia, CA · August 24, 2023

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
August 24, 2023 · 16:48 local
Place
Visalia, CA
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N30JX
Reported as
Piper PA-30
Reported engine
Lycoming IO-320-B1A
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
16,234 total50 in this make and model58 in the last 90 days
N30JXRegistered now · Piper PA-30S/N 30-539 · Built 1964Airframe modelPiper PA-30Engine modelLycoming IO-320-B1AReciprocating

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.

The pilot failed to determine if the fuel on the airplane was adequate in violation of 91.151(a)(1).

The pilot’s day started at 04:30 and included two flights in different airplanes. The first flight was in a twin engine turboprop departing kfat in the morning and ended at kfat at 16:00 after a flight to Arizona. The second flight was a 15-minute repositioning flight in a piston-twin airplane beginning at kfat, after returning from the first flight. The pilot traveled on a bus one-way from kvis to kfat early in the morning so he could fly the piston airplane home. Flying the airplane home was not a normal event, and was viewed as a convenience over driving round trip from kvis to kfat. The piston twin had just been purchased and was at a maintenance facility for pre-buy repairs and inspections.

During the second flight the airplane’s right engine ran out of fuel about 2.5 miles from kvis at 700 feet above the ground. The pilot reported that the airplane was not maintaining altitude on one engine, and he decided to land in the field to the west of the runway to prevent hitting cars and buildings around the airport. The pilot was not injured.

The pilot reported that when he arrived at kfat for the first flight, he decided to inspect the piston-twin airplane before flying the turboprop. The pilot spoke with the mechanic and was told that the airplane would be “ready to go at 16:00.”

When the pilot returned from the first flight at 16:00 the mechanic told the pilot a “run up was completed” on the piston-twin airplane.

The pilot reported that the right fuel gauge of the piston-twin airplane indicated ¼ and the left indicated ½. The pilot said that he compared the fuel indications to the turboprop he just flew, and “if this was the turboprop the gauges were indicating enough fuel for the 15-minute flight.”

The root cause of running out of fuel in the piston-twin was the pilot not taking the time to refer to the pilot’s operating handbook regarding fuel burn and quantity of the piston twin airplane.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT FAILED TO DETERMINE IF THE FUEL ON THE AIRPLANE WAS ADEQUATE IN VIOLATION OF 91.151(A)(1).

THE PILOT’S DAY STARTED AT 04:30 AND INCLUDED TWO FLIGHTS IN DIFFERENT AIRPLANES. THE FIRST FLIGHT WAS IN A TWIN ENGINE TURBOPROP DEPARTING KFAT IN THE MORNING AND ENDED AT KFAT AT 16:00 AFTER A FLIGHT TO ARIZONA. THE SECOND FLIGHT WAS A 15-MINUTE REPOSITIONING FLIGHT IN A PISTON-TWIN AIRPLANE BEGINNING AT KFAT, AFTER RETURNING FROM THE FIRST FLIGHT. THE PILOT TRAVELED ON A BUS ONE-WAY FROM KVIS TO KFAT EARLY IN THE MORNING SO HE COULD FLY THE PISTON AIRPLANE HOME. FLYING THE AIRPLANE HOME WAS NOT A NORMAL EVENT, AND WAS VIEWED AS A CONVENIENCE OVER DRIVING ROUND TRIP FROM KVIS TO KFAT. THE PISTON TWIN HAD JUST BEEN PURCHASED AND WAS AT A MAINTENANCE FACILITY FOR PRE-BUY REPAIRS AND INSPECTIONS.

DURING THE SECOND FLIGHT THE AIRPLANE’S RIGHT ENGINE RAN OUT OF FUEL ABOUT 2.5 MILES FROM KVIS AT 700 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT MAINTAINING ALTITUDE ON ONE ENGINE, AND HE DECIDED TO LAND IN THE FIELD TO THE WEST OF THE RUNWAY TO PREVENT HITTING CARS AND BUILDINGS AROUND THE AIRPORT. THE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED.

THE PILOT REPORTED THAT WHEN HE ARRIVED AT KFAT FOR THE FIRST FLIGHT, HE DECIDED TO INSPECT THE PISTON-TWIN AIRPLANE BEFORE FLYING THE TURBOPROP. THE PILOT SPOKE WITH THE MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD THAT THE AIRPLANE WOULD BE “READY TO GO AT 16:00.”

WHEN THE PILOT RETURNED FROM THE FIRST FLIGHT AT 16:00 THE MECHANIC TOLD THE PILOT A “RUN UP WAS COMPLETED” ON THE PISTON-TWIN AIRPLANE.

THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE RIGHT FUEL GAUGE OF THE PISTON-TWIN AIRPLANE INDICATED ¼ AND THE LEFT INDICATED ½. THE PILOT SAID THAT HE COMPARED THE FUEL INDICATIONS TO THE TURBOPROP HE JUST FLEW, AND “IF THIS WAS THE TURBOPROP THE GAUGES WERE INDICATING ENOUGH FUEL FOR THE 15-MINUTE FLIGHT.”

THE ROOT CAUSE OF RUNNING OUT OF FUEL IN THE PISTON-TWIN WAS THE PILOT NOT TAKING THE TIME TO REFER TO THE PILOT’S OPERATING HANDBOOK REGARDING FUEL BURN AND QUANTITY OF THE PISTON TWIN AIRPLANE.