- Date
- August 24, 2021, 09:33 local (15:33 UTC)
- Place
- Gypsum, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N46MDPiper PA-28-181
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Fuel starvation
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20210824013939A
- Case key
- 103748
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
A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation and the pilot's mismanagement of the available fuel.
Findings · 2
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 pilot reported that the airplane’s fuel tanks were filled to the tabs during the preflight. He then departed on about a two-hour local flight, which included touch and go landings. He added that he did a soft field technique, where he pulled up abruptly. The engine then ran rough, so he leveled off, and the engine regained power briefly, before going to idle rpm. He lowered the flaps for the forced landing. During the forced landing, the left wing separated from the airplane after impact with a fence post. The pilot stated that he ran the fuel tank too low and when he pulled up during the takeoff, the remaining fuel was unable to reach the engine. He added that he “just ran the left tank too long without switching” fuel tanks.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N46MD
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7790247
- Built
- 1976
- Airframe hours
- 9,555
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Itechnology Design Inc
- Registered owner
- Itechnology Design Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 18, 2021
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- EGE · Eagle County Regional
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Handheld GPS
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
- 19
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 12, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 70.2 total · 67.5 in this make and model · 18.8 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 3.7 in the last 30 days · 2.3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.30 inHg
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 16, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.3 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.