- Date
- December 21, 1992, 16:18 local (22:18 UTC)
- Place
- West Bend, WI
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8806JPiper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 30, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921221051029A
- Case key
- 15639
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
Total loss of engine power due to the failure of the pilot to select the fuel tank with the most fuel.
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 was on a cross country flight and experienced a total loss of engine power during the initial climb after takeoff to return to his home base. The pilot made an off-airport forced landing and struck trees during the landing rollout. There was no fuel in the left fuel tank or the line from the tank to the carburetor. There was fuel in the right tank. The fuel selector was positioned on the left tank.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8806J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-2756
- Airframe hours
- 2,326
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A3A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Sylvania Aero Enterprises
- Registered owner
- William And Connie Deubel
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 27, 1992 · 81 hours before
- Destination
- C89 · Sturtevant, WI
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
- 70
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 151 total · 5 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MWC, 19 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.