- Date
- January 3, 1990, 16:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Petersburg, VA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N33685Piper PA-28R-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 28, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900103000049A
- Case key
- 11575
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
Fuel starvation and improper use of emergency procedures (fuel selector) by the pilot.
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 purpose of the flight was to check the performance of the newly installed/overhauled engine. Before takeoff, the engine was run for about an hour & no problems were found. The pilot and the mechanic/passenger reported that during the initial climb after takeoff, the fuel pressure dropped & the engine lost power. Subsequently, the acft was damaged during an emergency landing in a field. Reportedly, the pilot did not change the position of the fuel selector after the engine lost power. A post accident examination & operational check of the engine revealed no fuel contamination or mechanical malfunction. During the check, the fuel selector was moved to the off position while the engine was running & the engine power was lost about 15 seconds later.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N33685
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R7535719
- Airframe hours
- 4,102
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C1C, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Air Chesterfield, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Air Chesterfield
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 5, 1989 · 1 hours before
- Airport
- PTB · Petersburg Muni, runway 23, 5,000 × 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
- 55
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,599 total · 100 in this make and model · 1,450 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ROA
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.