- Date
- October 11, 2000, 21:38 local (Oct 12, 2000, 01:38 UTC)
- Place
- Lansing, MI
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N732FLPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report October 23, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20001012043039A
- Case key
- 50546
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 inaccurate preflight planning. Factors were the fuel exhaustion, the trees, and the bright night condition.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The airplane sustained substantial damage on impact with trees and terrain during a forced landing after the pilot declared he was out of fuel. The pilot was seriously injured and the passenger sustained minor injuries. The pilot stated, "Departed Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Airport at 5:01P after refueling. Visually checked fuel level prior to departure for Lansing. ... Fuel starvation occurred east of LAN after 4 hrs and 35 min of flight (approx) and impact 4 1/2 mi east of destination. ... I slowed the aircraft and applied flaps. I headed for a dark area on the ground and impacted trees." Federal Aviation Administration inspectors performed an on-scene examination of the wreckage. An inspector stated, "An on scene investigation of the aircraft was conducted as well as an inspection of the engine after recovery of the aircraft. No abnormalities were noted other than there was no fuel in either tank or any evidence of fuel at the scene." The pilot stated that he "figured 9 gal/hr for cruise, leaned 75% at roughly 2500rpm. ... Pilot stated that he probably miscalculated winds."
Factual narrative
On October 11, 2000, about 2138 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N732FL, piloted by a commercial pilot, sustained substantial damage on impact with trees and terrain during a forced landing after the pilot declared he was out of fuel near Lansing, Michigan. The flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was on file. The pilot was seriously injured and the passenger sustained minor injuries. The flight originated from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, near Avoca, Pennsylvania, about 1701 and was destined for Capital City Airport, near Lansing, Michigan.
The pilot stated, "Departed Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Airport at 5:01P after refueling. Visually checked fuel level prior to departure for Lansing. ... Fuel starvation occurred east of LAN after 4 hrs and 35 min of flight (approx) and impact 4 1/2 mi east of destination. ... I slowed the aircraft and applied flaps. I headed for a dark area on the ground and impacted trees."
Federal Aviation Administration inspectors performed an on-scene examination of the wreckage. An inspector stated, "An on scene investigation of the aircraft was conducted as well as an inspection of the engine after recovery of the aircraft. No abnormalities were noted other than there was no fuel in either tank or any evidence of fuel at the scene. In the interview with [the pilot], he stated that he ran out of fuel and the engine stopped. ... He stated that he used flight following for the entire flight." The pilot stated that he "figured 9 gal/hr for cruise, leaned 75% at roughly 2500rpm. ... Pilot stated that he probably miscalculated winds."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N732FL
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7225510
- Airframe hours
- 4,774
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert A. Boyd
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 12, 2000 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- AVP · Avoca, PA
- Destination
- LAN
- Airport
- LAN · Capital City Airport
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
- 55
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,463 total · 1,328 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 113 °F, dew point 97 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LAN, 5 nm away
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 N732FL · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.