# NTSB CEN16LA225: Piper PA 24, N5661R, Houston, TX, June 20, 2016 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 19, 2016, 22:32 local (Jun 20, 2016, 03:32 UTC) - Place: Houston, TX - Coordinates: 29.732221, -95.335556 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.7322&lon=-95.3356&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Approach: Fuel exhaustion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious - Status: Completed, report November 6, 2019 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: FAA Houston FSDO, Lycoming Engines - NTSB case key (mKey): 93412 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN16LA225 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/93412/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=93412 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN16LA225 ## Probable cause The total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Fluids: fuel](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010): Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware · Fluid level (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-24, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md?model=7102402), [All aircraft, 1,695 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md) - [Object/animal/substance: residence/building](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022022): Environmental issues › Physical environment · Contributed to outcome; cases with it: [Piper PA-24, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022022/cases.md?model=7102402), [All aircraft, 58 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022022/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Approach: Fuel exhaustion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192) (defining event); cases with it: [Piper PA-24, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192/sequence.md?model=7102402), [All aircraft, 804 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192/sequence.md) - [Approach: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341); cases with it: [Piper PA-24, 4 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md?model=7102402), [All aircraft, 3,820 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md) - [Emergency descent: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Piper PA-24, 6 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=7102402), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis The private pilot was about 6 miles from the destination airport when he informed the controller that the airplane had lost all engine power and would not be able to make it to the airport. The airplane struck the roof of a 40-ft-tall warehouse. No fuel was found in either fuel tank, and there was no evidence of a fuel spill. The pilot stated after the accident that the engine had lost power due to fuel exhaustion. No information was obtained during the investigation that detailed where the pilot had departed from or how much fuel was on board the airplane at the start of the accident flight. It is likely that the pilot departed with insufficient fuel on board for the planned flight or that he did not monitor his fuel usage during the flight; either of these scenarios would have resulted in the loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. ## Factual narrative On June 19, 2016, about 2232 central daylight time, a Piper PA-24-180 airplane, N5661R, was substantially damaged after it impacted the roof of a warehouse following a complete loss of engine power during approach to William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), Houston, Texas. The pilot sustained serious injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The airplane departed from an unknown airport near St. Louis, Missouri, about 1730 and was destined for HOU.When the airplane was about six miles north of HOU the pilot informed the controller he had lost all engine power and would not be able to make it the to airport. The controller dispatched emergency equipment to the airplane's last known position and a police helicopter quickly found the wreckage on the roof of a 40-foot tall warehouse. Emergency responders treated the pilot at the scene, lowered him from the warehouse roof, and transported him to the hospital. There was no evidence of a fuel spill and there was no post-impact fire . According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who examined the airplane, no fuel was found in either fuel tank. In a hospital interview, the pilot told the inspector that the engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion. No information was obtained during the investigation that detailed where the pilot had departed from or how much fuel was onboard the airplane at the start of the accident flight. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N5661R](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5661R-2019-05-06), registration cancelled 2019-05-06, S/N 24-732, built 1959 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA 24 - Registry model: [Piper PA-24](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-24) (registry code 7102402) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming O&VO-360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (registry code 41514, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 24-732 - Year built: 1959 - Airframe hours: 4090 - Engines: LYCOMING O-360-A1A 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, January 16, 2016, 22 hours before - Departed: SUS, St. Loui, MO - Destination: HOU, Houston, TX - Airport: HOU, William P. Hobby, runway 12L, 5,148 × 100 ft, concrete - Equipment: Stall warning system, Auto-pilot ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 57; injuries: serious; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: unknown; last flight review August 4, 2015; seat: left; restraint: lap only; flight hours: 200 total, 24 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Night - Wind: 150° at 4 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 81 °F, dew point 73 °F - Altimeter: 30.12 inHg - Observed at: KHOU, 6 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20160619010489A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20160619010489A), Jun 19, 2016: Piper PA-24, Houston, TX, Destroyed. Aircraft departed ksus for khou. While being vectored for hobby airport the pilot reported that he was unfamiliar with the area. The pilot then declared and… ## Docket (3 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 15, 2019, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=93412. 338 KB in all. - Record of Conversation - FAA Inspector (item 1, .PDF, 96 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40473824&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Record%20of%20Conversation%20-%20FAA%20Inspector-Master.PDF - Record of Conversation - FAA Inspector Cotton (item 2, .PDF, 37 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40473825&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Record%20of%20Conversation%20-%20FAA%20Inspector%20Cotton-Master.PDF - Aerial View of the Warehouse Roof (Crash Site) (item 3, .PDF, 205 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40473826&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Aerial%20View%20of%20the%20Warehouse%20Roof%20(Crash%20Site)-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.