# NTSB CHI05CA142: Piper PA-28-181, N6294C, Raymore, MO, June 15, 2005 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: June 15, 2005, 00:30 local (05:30 UTC) - Place: Raymore, MO - Coordinates: 38.835277, -94.428337 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.8353&lon=-94.4283&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report September 13, 2005 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 61903 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI05CA142 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/61903/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI05CA142 ## Probable cause The loss of total engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's inadequate preflight. A factor was the unsuitable terrain encountered during the forced landing. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, cruise - aircraft preflight - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - fluid,fuel - exhaustion (cause) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - In flight collision with terrain/water, emergency descent/landing - unsuitable terrain or takeoff/landing/taxi area - encountered, pilot in command (contributing factor) - terrain condition - ground ## Analysis The airplane sustained substantial damage during a forced landing after a loss of engine power. The pilot reported that the projected flight time was "expected to be 2 hours and 36 minutes, and the fuel on board was planned at 5 hours 30 minutes, with a 2 hour reserve." When he was about 25 nm from his destination airport, he started his descent from 4,500 feet mean sea level (msl) to 2,000 feet msl. He reported that he checked the fuel gauges and they indicated that the fuel was "well over half full." When he was about 12 nm from the airport, the engine lost power over a populated area. He executed a forced landing to an area that did not have lights. The airplane landed upright in a muddy field after skidding about 200-300 feet. About one cup of fuel was drained from each wing tank sump and about a spoonful of fuel from the gascolator during the examination of the airplane. There was no evidence of a fuel leak anywhere on the airplane. The engine was rotated and thumb compression was observed on all cylinders, and spark was observed on all spark plugs. The pilot rented the airplane from a fixed base operator on June 10, 2005. The airplane was dispatched with the fuel tanks topped off with 48 gallons of fuel. The pilot reported that he flew nonstop to an airport located 246 nautical miles away. The pilot reported that on June 14, 2005, he flew to an airport that was 23 nautical miles away where he purchased 20.0 gallons of fuel. The pilot then flew back to the same airport 23 nautical miles away before departing on the accident flight later that night. The tachometer indicated the airplane had operated 6.2 hours, and the Hobbs meter indicated the airplane had flown 6.0 hours since the airplane was dispatched to the pilot on June 10th. The Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) indicated that the average fuel burn at 75 percent power with the engine properly leaned was about 10.5 gallons per hour. The average fuel burn for the accident airplane during the 6.0 hours (Hobbs time) it had been rented to the pilot was about 11.3 gallons per hour. ## Factual narrative On June 15, 2005, at 0030 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-181, N6294C, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing near Raymore, Missouri, after a loss of engine power. The private pilot was not injured. The 14 Code of Federal Regulations personal flight departed Pinckneyville Du Quoin Airport (PJY), Pinckneyville, Illinois, at 2245 and was en route to the Johnson County Executive Airport (OJC), Olathe, Kansas. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was filed. The pilot reported that the "projected flight time from PJY to OJC was expected to be 2 hours and 36 minutes, and the fuel on board was planned at 5 hours 30 minutes, with a 2 hour reserve." When he was about 25 nm from OJC, he started his descent from 4,500 feet mean sea level (msl) to 2,000 feet msl. He reported that he checked the fuel gauges and they indicated that the fuel was "well over half full." When he was about 12 nm from OJC, the engine lost power over a populated area. He executed a forced landing to an area that did not have lights. The airplane landed upright in a muddy field after skidding about 200-300 feet. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the aircraft at the accident site. The inspector reported that about one cup of fuel was drained from each wing tank sump and about a spoonful of fuel from the gascolator. The inspector reported that there was no evidence of a fuel leak anywhere on the airplane. The engine was rotated and thumb compression was observed on all cylinders, and spark was observed on all spark plugs. The pilot rented the airplane from a fixed base operator at OJC on June 10, 2005. The airplane was dispatched with the fuel tanks topped off with 48 gallons of fuel. The pilot reported to the FAA inspector that he flew nonstop to PJY, a distance of 246 nautical miles. The pilot reported that on June 14, 2005, he flew from FJY to the Williamson County Regional Airport (MWA), in Marion, Illinois, a distance of 23 nautical miles. He purchased 20.0 gallons of fuel at MWA. The pilot then flew back to PJY on June 14. The airplane's tachometer read 7193.3 hours and the Hobbs meter read 3011.3 hours when the airplane was dispatched to the pilot on June 10, 2005. The tachometer read 7199.5 hours at the time of the accident, the Hobbs meter read 3017.3 hours at the time of the accident. The tachometer indicated the airplane had operated 6.2 hours and the Hobbs meter indicated the airplane had flown 6.0 hours since the airplane was dispatched to the pilot. The Pilot Operating Handbook (POH) indicated that the average fuel burn at 75 percent power with the engine properly leaned was about 10.5 gallons per hour. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N6294C](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N6294C), registered now, S/N 28-7890358, built 1978 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-28-181 - Registry model: [Piper PA-28-181](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-181) (registry code 7102807) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming O&VO-360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (registry code 41514, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 28-7890358 - Engines: Lycoming O-360 reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Kansas City Aviation Center - Registered owner: Eugene Meiners - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: PJY, Pinckneyville, IL - Destination: OJC, OLATHE, KS ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 47; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2; flight hours: 1,001 total, 545 in this make and model, 32 in the last 90 days, 22 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Night ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20050615012309A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050615012309A), Jun 15, 2005: Piper PA28181, Belton, MO, Substantial damage. (-23) The pilot flew from the Kansas city, Missouri, area, to marion, Illinois, with one stop, in about 2.5 hours. He purchased 20 gallons of fuel there,… ## Other investigations on N6294C (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB ERA25LA074](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA25LA074), Nov 13, 2024: Piper PA28 (N6294C), Palm Beach Gardens, FL, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during landing in a gusting crosswind, which resulted in a hard landing and runway excursion. From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.