- Date
- November 29, 1987, 12:10 local (18:10 UTC)
- Place
- Northport, AL
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N8121TPiper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871129068719A
- Case key
- 7681
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
Before reaching the arpt, the eng lost power. Subsequently, the acft was damaged during an emerg landing on an embankment about 1.5 mi short of rwy 29. Only about 1 cup of fuel was found in each fuel tank. The plt thought there was about 12 gal of fuel remaining before the eng lost power. However, the front seat passenger noted that the left & rgt tank gauges were indicating 'empty' & the center gauge was indicating what he thought was 10 to 12 gal of fuel. The acft was equipped with only 2 fuel tanks & had no 3rd aux tank. The center gauge was a fuel sys pressure gauge.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8121T
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 288090143
- Airframe hours
- 925
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gregory F. Janeczko
- Registered owner
- Janeczko/ Gregory F
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 10, 1987 · 96 hours before
- Departed
- ORL · Orlando, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- TCL · Tuscaloosa Muni, runway 29, 4,001 × 150 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 40
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 309 total · 280 in this make and model · 245 as pilot in command · 33 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TCL, 2 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.