- Date
- July 27, 2011, 14:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Sidney, NY
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N7365PPiper PA-24-250
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Fuel starvation
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 17, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110727015539A
- Case key
- 81266
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 pilot's inadequate fuel planning and management, which resulted in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power during final approach.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot stated that he last checked the fuel quantity before a flight that he conducted 2 weeks prior to the accident flight. During that flight, he noticed that the right auxiliary fuel gauge was inoperative. The airplane landed uneventfully and remained in a hangar until the accident flight. The purpose of the accident flight was to drain fuel from the right auxiliary fuel tank, in order for maintenance work to be performed on the fuel tank sending unit. The pilot did not check the fuel quantity prior to the accident flight as he estimated that sufficient fuel remained from the previous flight. The pilot completed a 20-minute local flight and was on final approach to land, with the fuel selector positioned to the right auxiliary fuel tank, when a low fuel pressure indicator light illuminated in the cockpit. At that time, the airplane was about 800 feet above ground level, over a populated town. The pilot activated the fuel boost pump, but did not reposition the fuel selector to a different fuel tank. The engine subsequently experienced a total loss of power and the pilot performed a forced landing into trees and a river. During the landing, the airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot further stated that the accident was "pilot error" as he ran the right auxiliary fuel tank dry.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that he last checked the fuel quantity before a flight that he conducted 2 weeks prior to the accident flight. During that flight, he noticed that the right auxiliary fuel gauge was inoperative. The airplane landed uneventfully and remained in a hangar until the accident flight. The purpose of the accident flight was to drain fuel from the right auxiliary fuel tank, in order for maintenance work to be performed on the fuel tank sending unit. The pilot did not check the fuel quantity prior to the accident flight as he estimated that sufficient fuel remained from the previous flight. The pilot completed a 20-minute local flight and was on final approach to land, with the fuel selector positioned to the right auxiliary fuel tank, when a low fuel pressure indicator light illuminated in the cockpit. At that time, the airplane was about 800 feet above ground level, over a populated town. The pilot activated the fuel boost pump, but did not reposition the fuel selector to a different fuel tank. The engine subsequently experienced a total loss of power and the pilot performed a forced landing into trees and a river. During the landing, the airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot further stated that the accident was "pilot error" as he ran the right auxiliary fuel tank dry.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7365P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-2543
- Airframe hours
- 5,087
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Petzold Milton H
- Registered owner
- Petzold Milton H
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 2, 2010 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- N23 · Sidney, NY
- Destination
- N23 · Sidney, NY
- Airport
- N23 · Sidney Municipal Airport, runway 25
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
- 69
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 23, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,941 total · 800 in this make and model · 4 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- BGM, 20 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 7, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.7 MB in all.
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 N7365P · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.