- Date
- February 21, 1994, 09:41 local (15:41 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Forks, ND
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N66NDPiper PA-18-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 14, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940221002699A
- Case key
- 9471
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 starvation due to the improper positioning of the fuel tank selector by the student 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
The instructor and pilot rated student were practicing pattern work. The instructor asked the student to switch the fuel selector from the right tank to the left tank. The student moved the selector but did not look at it. He inadvertently selected the OFF position. The engine quit, and could not be restarted. The instructor landed the airplane about 50 yards short of the runway. The main landing gear wheels dug into the snow during landing roll, and the airplane nosed-over.
Factual narrative
On February 21, 1994, a Piper PA-18-150, N66ND, operated by the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, sustained substantial damage when airplane had a loss of engine power and the pilot landed short of the runway at the Grand Forks International Airport. Neither the instructor pilot nor the pilot-rated student were injured. The instructional flight originated at the Grand Forks Airport at 0845. No flight plan was filed, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time.
The instructor and student were doing pattern work. The instructor asked the student to switch fuel tanks from right to left. The student reported he "...didn't look and check the fuel selector position." He inadvertently switched the fuel selector to OFF. The instructor landed the airplane about 50 yards short of the runway. The wheels dug into the snow during landing roll, and the airplane nosed-over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N66ND
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1809046
- Airframe hours
- 1,542
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- King, William J.L.
- Registered owner
- University Of North Dakota
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · January 5, 1994 · 64 hours before
- Airport
- GFK · Grand Forks, runway 35R, 3,900 × 75 ft, concrete
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
- 60
- Certificate
- Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 9,606 total · 500 in this make and model · 8,392 as pilot in command · 65 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -8 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GFK
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 N66ND · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.