- Date
- September 4, 2024, 20:30 local (Sep 5, 2024, 01:30 UTC)
- Place
- Borger, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N40939Piper PA-28-140
- 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
- 20240904012609A
- Case key
- 195064
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 management which led to fuel exhaustion.
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 he added fuel, bringing the total fuel capacity to 42 gallons prior to departure. He stated that 4 hours and 6 minutes into the flight the engine began to lose power. He switched fuel tanks and turned on the electric fuel pump but was unable to restore engine power. He landed the airplane in a field and the airplane struck trees and a pole resulting in substantial damage to both wings. The pilot reported that he was about 2 minutes from the destination airport when the power loss occurred. Examination of the airplane after the accident revealed that neither wing fuel tank was compromised, there was no evidence of a fuel leak, and no visible fuel was in either wing fuel tank. ADS-B data showed that the airplane was airborne for 4 hours and 17 minutes as of the last data point received. At that time the airplane was still 36 miles from the destination airport. Based on the airplane’s flight track data it would have required an additional 22 minutes to reach the destination airport. Based on the pilot’s account that the airplane was 2 minutes from the destination, the airplane was airborne for about 4 hours and 37 minutes when the loss of engine power occurred. The pilot did not submit the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report Form 6120.1.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N40939
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7425191
- Built
- 1973
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Operator
- Grog Holdings LLC
- Registered owner
- Grog Holdings LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- SNL · Shawnee, OK
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Equipment
- 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 27
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 1, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 192 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 13 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.18 inHg
- Observed at
- KBGD
- METAR
- METAR KBGD 050151Z AUTO 16013G20KT 10SM CLR 26/16 A3018 RMK AO2 SLP182 T02560161=
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 3, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 35.2 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.
Other investigations on N40939 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.