- Date
- September 2, 1989, 13:40 local (17:40 UTC)
- Place
- Hickory, NC
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5210PPiper PA-24-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 22, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890902033459A
- Case key
- 8061
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Pilot's failure to adequately monitor the engine fuel consumption in flight.
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 airplane lost engine power during cruise flight followed by a forced landing on a highway about seven miles from the destination airport. During the landing roll the right wing collided with a fence post. The pilot reported that he had made the trip previously without refueling. He also stated that the engine consumed 11.4 gallons of fuel per hour. Examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel tanks were empty with no fuel stains noted on the wings. The operator's manual for the engine indicated that the anticipated fuel consumption was higher than the pilot's expectations.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5210P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-235
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A1A, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William C. Witcher, Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 2, 1989 · 29 hours before
- Departed
- FXE · Ft Lauderdale, FL
- Destination
- HKY
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
- 53
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,546 total · 27 in this make and model · 1,423 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HKY, 315 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.
Other investigations on N5210P · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.