- Date
- September 24, 1984, 16:09 local (20:09 UTC)
- Place
- Atlanta, GA
- Injuries
- 6 serious, 5 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N9193YPiper PA-31T3
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19840924050799A
- Case key
- 6569
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The normal fuel load for the flt was 1500 lbs, but with a forecast tail wind & an estimated flt time for only 1+10, the crew accepted the lower indctd (950 lb) fuel load. The flt was uneventful until an indctn of 250 lbs per side, then the fuel 'seemed to dissipate faster.' With an indctn of 150 lbs on dwnwnd, the coplt rcmdd declaring an emergency. The capt's response was to ask ATC for the anticipated length of the dwnwnd leg. He was told 20 mi. Priority hndlg was requested, but was only available for a declared emergency. The apch was contd with normal hndlg for aprx 10 min. At 1608:39, the crew declared an emergency, then rprtd the acft was out of fuel. It crash landed on rough terrain, short of rwy 8. An exam revealed fuel sensors had been improperly installed (interchanged btn the inbrd & outbrd tanks). Thus the gages indctd about 180 lbs more than the aprx 763 lbs that was actually aboard at tkof. A spcl 500 hr inspn of the entire fuel sys was made on 7/8/84 using the 'wet' method, but only the capacitance method checks each individual sensor
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9193Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31T3
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31T-8275010
- Airframe hours
- 1,857
- Engine
- P&W PT6A-11, 500 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Pee Dee Air Express, Inc, doing business as Trans Southern Airways
- Registered owner
- Hrs Textiles, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · September 18, 1984 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- FLO · Florence, SC
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- ATL · Hartsfield Airport, runway 8, 10,000 × 150 ft, concrete
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 34
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,309 total · 439 in this make and model · 3,154 as pilot in command · 245 in the last 90 days · 87 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AT, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.