- Date
- December 8, 2021, 15:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Delta, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N543ASPiper PA-24-250
- Defining event
- Initial climb: 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 Flight Standards
- FAA report
- 20211208020669A
- Case key
- 104376
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 resulting in 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 pilot reported that during a flight to demonstrate the airplane to a prospective buyer and during the climb after completing a touch and go about 200 feet agl, the engine lost power. The pilot changed the selected fuel tank and activated the fuel boost pump; however, engine power was not restored. The pilot executed a forced landing to an open field. The fuselage sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported he had visually checked the fuel level in each tank before the flight. The right main fuel tank was selected for the entire flight, and it was observed to be empty after the accident. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and that the power loss was likely due to fuel mismanagement.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N543AS
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-3250
- Built
- 1962
- Airframe hours
- 4,850
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-C1C5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- High Country Tree Gallery Inc.
- Registered owner
- High Country Tree Gallery Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 2020
- Departed
- AJZ · Delta, CO
- Destination
- AJZ · Delta, CO
- Airport
- KAJZ · Blake Field, runway 3, 5,598 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Handheld GPS, Auto-pilot, ADS-B
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
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 10, 2021
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 15,179 total · 2,500 in this make and model · 14,900 as pilot in command · 60 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.94 inHg
- Observed at
- KAJZ, 1 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KAJZ 082155Z AUTO 07007KT 10SM BKN050 OVC065 04/02 A2994
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 18, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.9 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.