- Date
- November 12, 2021, 18:31 local (23:31 UTC)
- Place
- St. Petersburg, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5862WPiper PA28
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Fuel starvation
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- 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
- 20211112019449A
- Case key
- 104270
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 inadvertent selection of an off fuel selector position, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
Findings · 2
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 reported that he departed a coastal airport at night. After he transitioned from initial climb to cruise flight at 1,100 ft mean sea level, he attempted to switch fuel tanks and the engine lost all power. He then tried to switch back to the original fuel tank, but accidentally positioned the fuel selector to the off position. The airplane did not have enough altitude to glide to shore and he subsequently ditched the airplane in a bay. The pilot egressed and the airplane sank. The airplane was recovered from the bay several days later and substantial damage to the right horizontal stabilator was noted by recovery personnel. The pilot added that he should have familiarized himself more with the fuel selector and that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5862W
- Reported as
- Piper PA28 (180)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-2376
- Built
- 1965
- Airframe hours
- 4,927
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 16, 2021
- Departed
- SPG · St Petersburg, FL
- Destination
- ORL · Orlando, FL
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Handheld GPS, Stall warning system
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
- 25
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Remote
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 24, 2021
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 720 total · 108 in this make and model · 643 as pilot in command · 210 in the last 90 days · 108 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- KSPG, 6 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KSPG 122353Z 00000KT 10SM CLR 24/20 A3002
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 30, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 7.4 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.