- Date
- March 27, 1990, 11:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Bolivar, TN
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N5524JPiper PA-32
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 5, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900327006289A
- Case key
- 8223
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
The pilot failed to properly select a tank with sufficient fuel prior to takeoff.
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
After takeoff, as the aircraft was climbing through approximately 300 ft over the runway, the engine lost power. Subsequently, the aircraft encountered a ditch during a forced landing and was damaged. The pilot reported that he had not placed the fuel selector to a tank with sufficient fuel. The aircraft had about 45 gal of fuel available at the time of the accident. The pilot's medical certificate and biennial flight review had both expired.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5524J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-983
- Airframe hours
- 4,512
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-E4B5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Registered owner
- F. M. Spears
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 7, 1990 · 41 hours before
- Destination
- TGC · Trenton, TN
- Airport
- M08 · Belivar-Hardeman, runway 36, 4,000 × 75 ft, grass/turf
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
- 52
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,000 total · 300 in this make and model · 3,950 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MKL, 24 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.