- Date
- December 8, 1990, 22:15 local (Dec 9, 1990, 03:15 UTC)
- Place
- Senoia, GA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5003TPiper PA 28R-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report March 12, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901208053369A
- Case key
- 8362
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
Improper preflight planning and preparation by the pilot which resulted in fuel exhaustion. Factors to the accident were the dark night operation and the collision with utility lines.
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 flight was within visual range of the destination airport when the engine quit for the second time. Since he was short of the airport, the pilot established an approach to a state highway for an emergency landing. The airplane collided with utility lines and crashed. Examination of the airplane disclosed that both fuel tanks were empty. The pilot had not planned a refueling stop en route. There were no reported mechanical problems.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5003T
- Reported as
- Piper PA 28R-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-7235170
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C1C, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Field Aircraft Inc.
- Departed
- FPR · Fort Pierce, FL
- Destination
- 2A9 · Peachtree City, GA
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 100 total · 17 in this make and model · 50 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 330° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- ATL, 15 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.