# NTSB DEN02LA082: Piper PA-24-250, N6887F, Peyton, CO, July 26, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: July 26, 2002, 15:50 local (21:50 UTC) - Place: Peyton, CO - Coordinates: 39.033611, -104.481109 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.0336&lon=-104.4811&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 3 uninjured - Status: Completed, report April 1, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 55367 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN02LA082 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/55367/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=55367 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN02LA082 ## Probable cause A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of leaking fuel caps. Contributing to the accident was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, cruise - normal - fluid,fuel - exhaustion (cause) - fluid,fuel - leak (cause) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - Gear collapsed, landing - roll - ground loop/swerve - intentional, pilot in command - terrain condition - none suitable (contributing factor) ## Analysis The pilot said that the fuel tanks were topped off with a total of 60 gallons of fuel before the flight. He said that he flew for approximately 3 hours and 10 minutes and the "airplane ran out of fuel." He performed a forced landing to a road, but the road ended short of the required braking distance. The pilot said that he applied "heavy" left rudder to avoid hitting telephone poles, "J" boxes, and a fence. The right main landing gear folded under the fuselage, and subsequently, the right wing and right horizontal stabilizer were bent up. Postaccident examination, by the pilot, of the fuel tank area revealed some fuel residue stains inside the fuel door. The airplane was equipped with "thermos bottle" type fuel caps and the pilot believed that fuel was being siphoned out of the tanks. In the performance section of the Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH), the fuel consumption at 19.5 inches of manifold pressure, 2,450 revolutions per minute, and 6,500 to 7,500 feet cruising altitude, was approximately 13 gallons per hour. ## Factual narrative On July 26, 2002, at approximately 1550 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-24-250, N6887F, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Peyton, Colorado. The commercial pilot and his two passengers were not injured. The pilot was operating the airplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country personal flight which originated from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, approximately 3 hours, 10 minutes before the accident. The pilot had not filed a flight plan; he said Meadow Lake Airport, Colorado Springs, Colorado, was his intended destination. The pilot said that the fuel tanks were topped off with a total of 60 gallons of fuel before the flight. He said that he flew for approximately 3 hours and 10 minutes and the "airplane ran out of fuel." He performed a forced landing to a road, but the road ended short of the required braking distance. The pilot said that he applied "heavy" left rudder to avoid hitting telephone poles, "J" boxes, and a fence. The right main landing gear folded under the fuselage, and subsequently, the right wing and right horizontal stabilizer were bent up. Postaccident examination, by the pilot, of the fuel tank area revealed some fuel residue stains inside the fuel door. The airplane was equipped with "thermos bottle" type fuel caps and the pilot believed that fuel was being siphoned out of their respective tanks. In the performance section of the Pilot's Operating Handbook, the fuel consumption at 19.5 inches of manifold pressure, 2,450 revolutions per minute, and 6,500 to 7,500 feet cruising altitude, was approximately 13 gallons per hour. ## Aircraft - Registration: N6887F (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-24-250 - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 24-2023 - Airframe hours: 7000 - Engines: Lycoming O-540-A1D5 250 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Alvin L. Berg - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, February 1, 2002, 35 hours before - Departed: FSD, Sioux Falls, CO - Destination: 00V, Meadowlake, CO ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 63; injuries: none; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine sea, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review February 1, 2002; seat: left; flight hours: 7,000 total, 700 in this make and model, 7,000 as pilot in command, 5 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 0° at 6 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 86 °F, dew point 43 °F - Altimeter: 30.09 inHg - Observed at: COS, 14 nm away ## Docket (3 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 10, 2002, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=55367. 521 KB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 377 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40463846&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Master.PDF - Supplement E - Second Pilot Information (item 2, .PDF, 115 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40463847&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Supplement%20E%20-%20Second%20Pilot%20Information-Master.PDF - Supplement S - Aircraft Occupant and Injured Ground Personnel (item 3, .PDF, 29 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40170621&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Supplement%20S%20-%20Aircraft%20Occupant%20and%20Injured%20Ground%20Personnel-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.