- Date
- November 23, 1989, 10:50 local (15:50 UTC)
- Place
- Decatur, IN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5483PPiper PA-24-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891123046449A
- Case key
- 14491
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 misjudgement of the fuel supply, inaccurate fuel consumption calculations, and his improper in-flight planning/decision, which resulted in fuel exhaustion. The lack of suitable terrain for an emergency landing was a related factor.
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 pilot reported being low on fuel and requested vectors to the nearest airport during the cross country flight. Fuel exhaustion occurred 15 miles short of the nearest airport and a forced landing was made in a field during which the airplane was damaged. The pilot misjudged the initial fuel quantity at takeoff and failed to account for the higher en route power settings.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5483P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-543
- Airframe hours
- 1,892
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Philip Railsback
- Registered owner
- FAA Flying Club Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 13, 1989 · 93 hours before
- Departed
- DCA · Washington, DC
- Destination
- FWA · Fort Wayne, IN
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 30
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 345 total · 22 in this make and model · 242 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,100 ft broken
- Temperature
- 27 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
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 N5483P · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.