- Date
- January 17, 2021, 09:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- St. Petersburg, FL · On the beach
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N82746Piper PA28
- Defining event
- Maneuvering: Loss of engine power (total)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20210117000459A
- Case key
- 102528
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
A total loss of engine power as a result of the loose fuel line B-nut connected to the engine driven fuel pump.
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
According to the flight instructor, after departing the airport and climbing out over the ocean, she and the pilot-rated student were discussing climbing higher when the engine lost total power. The instructor attempted to restart the engine by turning on the fuel pump, carburetor heat, and switching the fuel selector, without success. She searched for a place to land and performed a forced landing to a beach. During the landing roll, the right wing struck a pole in the sand, resulting in substantial damage. An examination of the engine revealed that the B-nut was loose on the engine driven fuel pump between the electric fuel pump. When the electric fuel pump was turned on, fuel leaked out of the line where the B-nut was loose. A mechanic tightened the line, and fuel flowed without issue. There were no other anomalies with the engine during the examination that would have precluded normal operation. Given this information, it is likely that a loss of fuel pressure/flow to the engine occurred as a result of the loose B-nut, which resulted in the total loss of engine power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N82746
- Reported as
- Piper PA28 (181)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8190054
- Built
- 1980
- Airframe hours
- 15,189
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- St Pete Aviation Services LLC
- Registered owner
- St Pete Aviation Services LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 25, 2020 · 92 hours before
- Departed
- SPG · St. Petersburg, FL
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 28
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 3, 2019
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 984 total · 267 in this make and model · 794 as pilot in command · 52 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 22, 2019
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 498 total · 42 in this make and model · 450 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.08 inHg
- Observed at
- SPG
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 13, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 13.2 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.