- Date
- July 8, 1990, 21:00 local (Jul 9, 1990, 02:00 UTC)
- Place
- Aurora, IL
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N33332Piper PA28-151
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900708024859A
- Case key
- 14702
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
Fuel exhaustion. A factor in the accident was inaccurate fuel consumption calculations by the pilot.
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
On cross country flight, pilot experienced total engine failure 12 miles from flight planned destination. ATC provided vector to nearest airfield, but pilot landed in soft field 1.5 miles from field. Aircraft substantially damaged. No injuries to pilot or his two passengers. Investigation revealed right fuel tank empty. Approximately 1.0 pint of fuel drained from left tank. Pilot stated that he had made this trip several times with amount of fuel he had on board at takeoff.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N33332
- Reported as
- Piper PA28-151
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7515310
- Airframe hours
- 2,823
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E3D, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Lumanair, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 30, 1990 · 14 hours before
- Departed
- CMH · Columbus, OH
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 35
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 169 total · 29 in this make and model · 121 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ARR, 12 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.