- Date
- September 5, 2020, 14:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Red Oak, IA
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2875TPiper PA28-140
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 3
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration; Des Moines FSDO
- FAA report
- 20200905016209A
- Case key
- 101925
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 improper fuel management, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a loss of engine power.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The airplane was located in a field following a forced landing. There was no useable fuel aboard and a postaccident examination of the engine and fuel system revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The accident is consistent with the pilot mis-management of the fuel onboard, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Factual narrative
On September 5, 2020, about 1400 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N2875T, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Red Oak, Iowa. The pilot and passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The airplane was located in a field following a forced landing. There was no useable fuel in either wing tank or the respective wing fuel lines. The right wing and right horizontal stabilizer sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the airplane, engine, and fuel system revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. A National Transportation Safety Board Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report, form 6120.1, was not received from the pilot.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2875T
- Reported as
- Piper PA28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7225260
- Built
- 1972
- Airframe hours
- 3,886.94
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 2020
- Departed
- Valparaiso, IN
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 69
- Injuries
- Unknown
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 4, 2019
- Flight hours
- 1,304 total · 1,304 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.19 inHg
- Observed at
- RDK
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 10, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.8 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.