- Date
- August 7, 1986, 08:44 local (14:44 UTC)
- Place
- Albuquerque, NM
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7681PPiper PA-24-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860807053199A
- Case key
- 17028
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 plt rprtd the acft was refueled to capacity at longmont, CO. Full capacity should have provided at least 3.6 hrs of flying time at normal consumption. After refueling, the acft was flown 1.3 hrs to fowler, CO, where it remained parked for a week. The plt then departed on a flt to Albuquerque, NM. After 1.3 hrs of flt time, the eng lost pwr. During an emerg landing on an interstate highway, the rgt wing of the acft collided with a bridge railing. An investigation revealed the loss of pwr was due to fuel exhaustion. The plt said he looked in the fuel tanks drg a preflight inspn. He noted there was fuel in both tanks, but he did not ascertain the quantity. Also, he rprtd that the fuel gages were not reliable. He believed that fuel was stolen from the acft while it was parked at fowler.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7681P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-2854
- Airframe hours
- 2,980
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Herbert A. Shannon
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 25, 1986 · 19 hours before
- Departed
- O9V · Fowler, CO
- Airport
- 4AC · Coronado
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
- 65
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine sea, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 8,800 total · 500 in this make and model · 8,600 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
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 N7681P · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.