- Date
- October 21, 2023, 19:35 local (Oct 22, 2023, 00:35 UTC)
- Place
- Iola, KS
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5324FPiper PA-28-181
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- 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
- 20231021016229A
- Case key
- 193294
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 inadequate fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
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 had 48 gallons of fuel on board and assumed that he would be able to fly for about 5 hours. After about 4 hours and 20 minutes of flying, the pilot began his descent for landing at his destination, turned the fuel pump on, and checked the fuel gauges. The gauges read about 3 or 4 gallons of fuel remaining in each fuel tank. Shortly thereafter, the engine quit. The pilot switched fuel tanks and the engine started again momentarily and then quit again. He landed the airplane on a gravel road about 1.5 miles northeast of the airport. After touchdown, the right wing struck a tree and separated from the fuselage resulting in substantial damage. The pilot reported that he believes the airplane ran out fuel, which resulted in the loss of engine power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5324F
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7790088
- Built
- 1976
- Airframe hours
- 4,969
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Toby Baker
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 25, 2023
- Departed
- MDW · Chicago, IL
- Destination
- K88 · Iola, IL
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Auto-pilot
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
- 27
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 23, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 217 total · 83 in this make and model · 181 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 20° at 4 knots
- Temperature
- 32 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Observed at
- K88, 1.5 nm away
- METAR
- K88 220035Z AUTO 02004KT 10SM CLR 20/03 A2994
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 29, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.1 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.