- Date
- September 11, 1991, 07:28 local (13:28 UTC)
- Place
- Ft. Carson, CO
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N7730YPiper PA-30
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 3, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910911039379A
- Case key
- 18033
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
The loss of power to both engines due first to fuel starvation followed by fuel exhaustion, the pilot's failure to refuel, and the inadvertent stall. A factor was: the pilot's improper use of powerplant controls.
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 was flying his first solo practice flight three days after receiving his multiengine rating. He had 18 hours multiengine time. While being vectored for a practice approach, the right engine quit due to fuel starvation. The aircraft could not maintain altitude due to single engine performance limits. The turbochargers were not engaged. Approach control vectored the aircraft to the nearest airport. The pilot had difficulty in spotting the airport and the second engine quit due to fuel exhaustion during the approach. The pilot then inadvertently stalled the aircraft which rolled over and dove into the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7730Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-30
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30-819
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-CIA, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Rick L. Ownes
- Registered owner
- Rick L. Ownes
- Departed
- COS · Colorado Spring, CO
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
- 35
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,220 total · 18 in this make and model · 1,075 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
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 N7730Y · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.