- Date
- February 16, 2022, 14:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- Washington, NC
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N114BRPiper PA32R
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern downwind: Fuel contamination
- 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
- 20220216001969A
- Case key
- 104658
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 preflight inspection, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel contamination.
Findings · 3
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 was interested in purchasing the airplane and the accident flight was a demonstration flight. The owner of the airplane provided a flight instructor as the pilot had not flown the make and model airplane in many years. Prior to the flight, 10 gallons of fuel were added to each wing fuel tank, to bring the total useable fuel to 38 gallons. The pilot further stated that he and the flight instructor then performed a thorough preflight inspection, which included sumping the fuel tanks. The pilot planned to perform touch-and-go landings and the first one was uneventful. While on a downwind leg to the runway for a second landing, the pilot verified that the electric fuel pump was on and switched the fuel selector from the right fuel tank to the left fuel tank. The engine subsequently lost all power and the propeller continued to windmill. The pilot attempted to glide to the airport while the flight instructor attempted to restart the engine, which included switching back to the right fuel tank. The engine did not regain power and the pilot subsequently performed a forced landing in a field. During the forced landing, the airplane struck a ditch, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. During a post-accident examination, about 3 quarts of water were drained from the left fuel tank, about 1 pint of water was drained from the fuel system and no water was found in the right fuel tank. The airplane had not flown for about 11 months prior to the accident flight. During that time, it sat outside for several months. The left-wing fuel cap appeared to have a good seal and the investigation could not determine how water entered the left fuel tank.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N114BR
- Reported as
- Piper PA32R (300)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R-7780140
- Built
- 1976
- Airframe hours
- 10,584
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Mission Air Care LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 15, 2021 · 3 hours before
- Airport
- OCW · Washington-Warren Airport, runway 23, 5,000 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Airline transport, Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 3, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 24,234 total · 645 in this make and model · 18,683 as pilot in command · 178 in the last 90 days · 68 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial, Flight instructor, Remote
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 1, 2020
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 3,101 total · 23 in this make and model · 2,668 as pilot in command · 51 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.55 inHg
- Observed at
- OCW, 1.5 nm away
- METAR
- KOCW 161955Z AUTO 14010KT 10SM SCT055 19/05 A3055
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 26, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.0 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.