- Date
- July 15, 1991, 16:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Hawkinsville, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4800PPiper PA-25-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 8, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910715027989A
- Case key
- 8437
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's inadequate preflight planning, his failure to refuel the airplane when he observed his fuel supply getting low, and the resultant exhaustion of his fuel supply.
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 ag pilot was on the return leg of a spare parts run. He had not received a weather briefing prior to departure. Prior to takeoff, he estimated that he had about 22 gallons of fuel on board; enough for the 45 mile flight. En route, he encountered developing thunderstorm activity, and deviated his course to the west. While deviating the thunderstorm activity, he exhausted his fuel supply. He force landed the airplane in a nearby pasture, but the airplane collided with a tree, resulting in airframe damage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4800P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-25-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-4580
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-B2C5, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Arnold, Greg A.
- Registered owner
- Arnold, Greg A.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Departed
- NONE · Tifton, GA
- Destination
- 48A · Cochran, GA
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
- 24
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 330 total · 85 in this make and model · 60 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MCN, 25 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.