- Date
- October 26, 2022, 15:27 local (20:27 UTC)
- Place
- Osage, AR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8457DPiper PA-22-160
- Defining event
- Enroute: Fuel exhaustion
- 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
- FAA report
- 20221026017979A
- Case key
- 106211
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 total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection.
Findings · 4
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 he conducted a preflight inspection and filled both of the airplane’s fuel tanks. While enroute, the airplane’s engine lost power. The pilot switched fuel tanks but was unable to restore power. The pilot then conducted a forced landing to a rough field, during which the airplane impacted a hay bale. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel tanks contained no usable fuel. No other postaccident malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operations were found. Immediately following the accident, the pilot stated that he ran out of fuel. The pilot wrote on NTSB Accident/Incident Reporting Form 6120.1 that it was possible either or both fuel tanks were not completely full “due to difficulty with the ladder and fuel pump.”
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8457D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22-160
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-5713
- Built
- 1957
- Airframe hours
- 4,020
- Engine
- Lycoming 0-320-B2A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Sbsb, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 3, 2022
- Departed
- KFSM · Fort Smith, AR
- Destination
- KHRO · Harrison, AR
- Airport
- Field
- Equipment
- 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
- 87
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed
- Last flight review
- March 24, 2021
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 2,721 total · 1,093 in this make and model · 2,687 as pilot in command · 31 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 3004.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KHRO, 11 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KHRO 261953Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 18/02 A3009 RMK AO2 SLP187 T01780017=
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 28, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.2 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.