- Date
- September 12, 1996, 21:15 local (Sep 13, 1996, 02:15 UTC)
- Place
- Janesville, WI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N27299Piper PA-31
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 23, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960912034459A
- Case key
- 10387
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 as a result of an inadequate preflight by the pilot in command.
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 that he had a trip in the morning. He reported that he was running late and was in a hurry. He neglected to check the nacelle tanks for fuel, but he did check the main and auxiliary tanks which were full. He reported that he mistakenly thought he had fuel in the nacelle tanks. He completed the trip and was returning to Janesville, Wisconsin. About 12 miles from the airport both engines quit and he executed a forced landing to a field. The aircraft refueler reported that he did not refuel the nacelle tanks. He reported he was told to top off the main and outboard tanks. Examination of the aircraft revealed that there was no fuel in the fuel tanks.
Factual narrative
On September 12, 1996, at 2115 central daylight time, a Piper PA-31, N27299, operated by Blackhawk Airways, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing in a bean field as a result of fuel exhaustion. The commercial pilot was not injured. The 14 CFR 91 flight had departed Whiteside County Airport, Sterling, Illinois, and was en route to Janesville, Wisconsin, when it ran out of fuel 12 miles from Janesville. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a VFR flight plan was filed.
The pilot reported that he had a trip in the morning. He reported that he was running late and was in a hurry. He neglected to check the nacelle tanks for fuel, but he did check the main and auxiliary tanks which were full. He reported that he mistakenly thought he had fuel in the nacelle tanks. He completed the trip and was returning to Janesville, Wisconsin. About 12 miles from the airport both engines quit and he executed a forced landing to a field.
The aircraft refueler reported that he did not refuel the nacelle tanks. He reported he was told to top off the main and outboard tanks.
Examination of the aircraft revealed that there was no fuel in the fuel tanks.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N27299
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2128
- Airframe hours
- 4,006
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Blackhawk Airways
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 30, 1996 · 56 hours before
- Departed
- SQI · Sterling, IL
- Destination
- JVL · Janesville, WI
- 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
- 45
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 14,500 total · 3,800 in this make and model · 11,300 as pilot in command · 250 in the last 90 days · 45 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft broken
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- JVL, 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.