# NTSB ERA11LA198: Piper PA-32R-300, N2027M, Vineyard Haven, MA, March 20, 2011 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: March 19, 2011, 20:45 local (Mar 20, 2011, 00:45 UTC) - Place: Vineyard Haven, MA - Coordinates: 41.426387, -70.554168 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.4264&lon=-70.5542&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Approach-VFR pattern final: Fuel exhaustion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 2 minor - Status: Completed, report November 17, 2011 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Eastern Region Aviation - Parties: FAA/FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 78597 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ERA11LA198 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/78597/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=78597 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA11LA198 ## Probable cause The pilot's improper fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Fluids: fuel](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010): Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware · Fluid management (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-32R-300, 6 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md?model=7103213), [All aircraft, 1,695 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md) - [Planning/preparation: fuel planning](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-32R-300, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030/cases.md?model=7103213), [All aircraft, 719 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030/cases.md) - [Fluids: fuel](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010): Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware · Fluid level (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-32R-300, 6 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md?model=7103213), [All aircraft, 1,695 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Approach-VFR pattern final: Fuel exhaustion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192) (defining event); cases with it: [Piper PA-32R-300, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192/sequence.md?model=7103213), [All aircraft, 804 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192/sequence.md) - [Approach-VFR pattern final: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341); cases with it: [Piper PA-32R-300, 14 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md?model=7103213), [All aircraft, 3,820 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md) - [Emergency descent: Off-field or emergency landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440); cases with it: [Piper PA-32R-300, 11 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md?model=7103213), [All aircraft, 3,365 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md) - [Landing-landing roll: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Piper PA-32R-300, 32 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=7103213), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot reported that, after flying for approximately 25 minutes, the engine lost power. He performed a forced landing on a nearby beach. During the landing, the airplane struck a piling and came to rest in knee-deep water. The wings and empennage sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that he departed with the fuel gauges reading half full. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel tank selector valve was on the right tank position. The right wing fuel tank was compromised by impact forces. After recovery of the airplane from the beach, 20 gallons of seawater were drained from the right wing; there was no fuel present. The wreckage was moved to a nearby hangar where a more detailed examination of the airplane was performed. The examination revealed a lack of fuel throughout the fuel system. ## Factual narrative On March 19, 2011, about 2045 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-300, N2027M, experienced a loss of engine power and force landed on a beach near Martha's Vineyard Airport (MVY), Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by the private pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The private pilot and one passenger had minor injuries. The flight originated from Hyannis, Massachusetts (HYA) about 2020. The pilot reported that he was approaching runway 24 at MVY when the engine lost power and quit. Unable to reach the runway, he made a forced landing on a beach. The airplane struck a piling and came to rest in knee-deep water. Initial examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the fuel tank selector valve was on the right tank position. The right wing fuel tank was compromised by impact forces. After recovery of the airplane from the beach, 20 gallons of seawater were drained from the right wing; there was no fuel present. The wreckage was moved to a nearby hangar where a more detailed examination of the airplane was performed. The wings and empennage received structural damage. A visual examination of the engine did not revealed any evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction. The following fuel lines were removed and no fuel was found inside the lines: fuel tanks to engine firewall, firewall to fuel pump, fuel pump to fuel control, fuel control to fuel distribution valve, and fuel distribution valve to fuel injectors. The pilot reported, in an interview with FAA inspectors, that the wing tank gauges registered half full of fuel when he departed HYA. He also reported that he experienced a fuel starvation event about three years prior, while taxiing. He recalled that the fuel tanks registered one quarter full on the gauges; however, the tank that was being used at the time was found to be empty. He could not recall which tank was empty, nor could he remember if any corrective maintenance was performed on the fuel indicating system. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N2027M](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2027M-2016-12-08), registration cancelled 2016-12-08, S/N 32R-7880050 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA-32R-300 - Registry model: [Piper PA-32R-300](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32r-300) (registry code 7103213) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 32R-7880050 - Airframe hours: 5012 - Engines: Lycoming IO540-K1G5D 300 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Dupon Jean - Registered owner: Dupon Jean - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, March 17, 2011 - Departed: HYA, Hyannis, MA - Destination: MVY, Vineyard Haven, MA - Airport: MVY, Martha's Vineyard Airport, runway 24, 5,504 × 100 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 67; injuries: minor; private; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; seat: left; flight hours: 3,017 total ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Night - Wind: 40° at 6 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 34 °F, dew point 28 °F - Altimeter: 30.35 inHg - Observed at: MVY, 4 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20110319005479A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20110319005479A), Mar 19, 2011: Piper PA-32R-300, Oak Bluffs, MA, Substantial damage. On 3/19/2011, the pilot and one passenger departed hya directly for mvy. The pilot reports that at approximately 4 miles out from mvy, at an altitude of… ## Docket (4 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 30, 2011, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=78597. 710 KB in all. - Memo of Record - NTSB Form 6120.1 Request (item 1, .PDF, 30 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40353223&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Memo%20of%20Record%20-%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1%20Request-Master.PDF - Correspondence with FAA Inspector (item 2, .PDF, 39 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40353227&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Correspondence%20with%20FAA%20Inspector-Redacted.PDF - FAA Record of Interview with Pilot (item 3, .PDF, 93 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40353228&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=FAA%20Record%20of%20Interview%20with%20Pilot-Redacted.PDF - Excerpts from Maintenance Logbooks (item 4, .PDF, 548 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40353230&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Excerpts%20from%20Maintenance%20Logbooks-Redacted.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.