- Date
- May 7, 1992, 20:28 local (May 8, 1992, 00:28 UTC)
- Place
- Falmouth, KY
- Injuries
- 3 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7851PPiper PA-24-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 11, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920507014149A
- Case key
- 11781
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 misjudged the airplane's altitude and distance in reference to the runway. Contributing to the accident was the fuel system leak.
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
n7851P DEPARTED WITH 90 GALLONS OF FUEL ON BOARD. APPROXIMATELY 45 MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PILOT NOTED THAT FUEL CONSUMPTION WAS HIGH. ALL FOUR OCCUPANTS COULD SMELL FUEL THROUGHOUT THE CABIN. APPROXIMATELY TWO HOURS AFTER DEPARTURE THE ENGINE QUIT AND WAS RESTARTED. THE PILOT PROCEEDED TO LAND AT AN ALTERNATE AIRPORT. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE FINAL APPROACH WAS HIGH AND EAST. A 20 KNOT TAILWIND EXISTED AT THE TIME OF THE LANDING. THE AIRPLANE OVERSHOT THE RUNWAY, CONTACTED TREES AND CRASHED. THE ON-SCENE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THERE WAS NO FUEL IN THE LEFT MAIN FUEL TANK, 3 GALLONS IN THE AUXILIARY FUEL TANKS, AND THE RIGHT MAIN FUEL TANK CONTAINED SOME FUEL, BUT THE QUANTITY COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE RIGHT FULL TANK LINES WERE FOUND SEPARATED FROM THE FUEL TANK AND THE LEFT FUEL TANK LINES WERE INTACT. THE ENGINE-DRIVEN FUEL PUMP, QUICK DRAIN, FUEL SELECTOR VALVE, FUEL TANK CAPS AND LEFT FUEL TANK EXHIBITED NO ANOMALIES.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7851P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-3074
- Airframe hours
- 1,242
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-AID5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Douglas J. Deszell
- Registered owner
- Douglas Aviation Incorporated
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 1, 1991 · 127 hours before
- Departed
- CHA · Chattanooga, TN
- Destination
- TOL · Toledo, OH
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- KY62 · Gene Snyder, runway 21, 4,000 × 75 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
- 37
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 352 total · 206 in this make and model · 261 as pilot in command · 70 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 20 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.