- Date
- September 10, 2023, 19:50 local (Sep 11, 2023, 00:50 UTC)
- Place
- Moberly, MO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N4219TPiper PA-32-300
- Defining event
- Approach: 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
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20230910021149A
- Case key
- 193115
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 flight instructor’s inadequate fuel management that resulted in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power during an approach for landing.
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 flight instructor stated that prior to beginning the instructional flight, he visually confirmed there was fuel in each fuel tank. He did not use a fuel dip stick when he checked the fuel level and approximated the fuel level as 17 gallons. He said the flight would have required 8 gallons of fuel. About 10 miles from the destination airport, with the fuel selector positioned to the right main fuel tank, the engine began to run rough. He then selected the right auxiliary fuel tank, and the engine began to run smoothly again. About 4 miles from the destination airport and during the approach for landing, the engine began to run rough again. He then selected the left auxiliary fuel tank, but engine power was not restored. With the engine at idle power, he tried to restore engine power by cycling through the remaining fuel tanks but was unsuccessful. He then performed a forced landing to a field, during which the engine ceased to operate. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no leaks with the fuel system and no useable fuel was found in the left and right main fuel tanks. The flight instructor stated that after the accident, he checked the left auxiliary/tip tank and there was 7 gallon of fuel present. The examination revealed no failures or malfunctions with the airframe and engine that would have precluded normal airplane operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4219T
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-7240037
- Built
- 1971
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1A5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- 19t LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- COU · Columbia, MO
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- MBY · Omar N Bradley Airport
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system
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
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 32
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 27, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 717 total · 15 in this make and model · 581 as pilot in command · 218 in the last 90 days · 64 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 30.11 inHg
- Observed at
- MBY, 3 nm away
Docket · 7
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 21, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.9 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.
Other investigations on N4219T · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.