- Date
- January 1, 2024, 14:20 local (19:20 UTC)
- Place
- Gordonville, PA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N722RMPiper PA32
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Fuel starvation
- 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
- 20240101000389A
- Case key
- 193597
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 improper fuel management resulting in fuel starvation, a total loss of engine power, and subsequent off-airport forced landing.
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
After departing on the accident flight, the pilot moved the fuel selector from the left main fuel tank to the right wingtip fuel tank, and later the left wingtip fuel tank. With an estimated 20 minutes of flight time remaining, he attempted to select the right main fuel tank, but inadvertently selected the left main fuel tank. About 10 minutes later, began losing power. Despite the pilot’s efforts to troubleshoot the issue by activating the fuel pump and articulating the throttle, the engine lost power completely. The pilot then selected the right main fuel tank but was unable to restart the engine. He subsequently performed a forced landing to a field, during which the airplane struck wires and fence posts, substantially damaging the left wing, as well as the horizontal and vertical stabilizers. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that only 8 ounces of fuel remained in the left main fuel tank. While damage the left wing incurred during the accident compromised the integrity of the tank, there was no evidence of any fuel leakage. About 25 gallons of fuel remained in the right main fuel tank. The airframe fuel strainer contained about 2 ounces of uncontaminated fuel. Examination and operational testing of the fuel selector valve confirmed that the selector valve was functional in all positions and the indicator aligned properly in the detents. Based on this information, the pilot’s inadvertent selection of the left main fuel tank resulted in exhausting its fuel supply, and the subsequent loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N722RM
- Reported as
- Piper PA32 (300)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-7440140
- Built
- 1974
- Airframe hours
- 5,987
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1A5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 11, 2023 · 37 hours before
- Departed
- TGI · Tangier, VA
- Destination
- S37 · Smoketown, PA
- Airport
- S37 · Smoketown Airport
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display, Onboard weather, Satellite tracking device, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Angle of attack indicator, Auto-pilot
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
- 45
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3
- Last flight review
- August 20, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,345 total · 638 in this make and model · 1,301 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,300 ft broken
- Temperature
- 41 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- KLNS, 10 nm away
- METAR
- KLNS 011929Z 32007KT 10SM SCT013 BKN043 OVC050 05/02 A3002 RMK AO2 RAE1858 P0000 T00500022
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 31, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 10.6 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 N722RM · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.