- Date
- August 3, 1994, 18:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Richmond, MO
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4854TPiper PA-32-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 16, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940803048319A
- Case key
- 9624
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
a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation, reason undetermined.
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
While in cruise flight there was a total loss of engine power. The pilot said the airplane stalled about 50 feet above the ground during the forced landing. FAA inspectors could find no mechanical problem with the engine. They did find that the fuel tank selector was half-way between the left main tank and the left tip tank.
Factual narrative
On August 3, 1994, at 1830 central daylight time, a Piper PA-32- 300, N4854T, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing following a total loss of engine power near Richmond, Missouri. The private pilot received minor injuries, one of the three passengers aboard the airplane also received minor injuries, the other two passengers received serious injuries. The business flight originated at the Trenton Municipal Airport, Trenton, Missouri, with an intended destination of Lee's Summit, Missouri.
A VFR flight plan was filed, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time.
The pilot stated the engine lost power while in cruise flight at 4,500 feet msl. He attempted a restart without success. He said that in the process of trying to avoid some telephone lines on short final during the forced landing, the airplane stalled about 50 feet in the air, and hit the ground very hard.
Federal Aviation Administration inspectors who inspected the airplane and engine reported there was no fuel in the fuel distribution manifold (spider). The engine examination found no mechanical reason for malfunction. The fuel selector was positioned half-way between the left main fuel tank, and the left tip fuel tank.
The fuel quantities found in the tanks were:
Left main one-half full Left tip torn off airplane during landing Right main full Right tip empty
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4854T
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-7240091
- Airframe hours
- 2,748
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1A5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Howmedica Kansas City, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special); Standard, Normal; Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 29, 1994 · 17 hours before
- Departed
- TRX · Trenton, MO
- Destination
- K84 · Lee'S Summit, MO
- 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
- 44
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 797 total · 512 in this make and model · 669 as pilot in command · 55 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MKC, 18 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.