- Date
- February 20, 2024, 11:41 local (16:41 UTC)
- Place
- Farmingdale, NY · Highway 109
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N33667Piper PA-28-180
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: 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
- 20240220002899A
- Case key
- 193824
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 student pilot’s lack of fuel management during the flight and the flight instructor’s inadequate monitoring of his student’s fuel management, resulting in fuel starvation and a forced landing to a highway.
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 student pilot in the left seat and his instructor in the right seat were preparing for a local flight. They estimated that there were about 30 gallons of fuel on board prior to departure; 17 gallons in the left tank and 13 gallons in the right tank. After airwork and emergency procedures practice, they returned to the departure airport for some takeoffs and landings. During the second approach to landing, about two hours into the flight, the student pilot advanced the throttle; however, the engine did not respond. Since they were at low altitude, the instructor took the controls and landed the airplane on a nearby highway. After touchdown, the right wing struck a road sign, partially severing the wing. The pilots egressed the airplane and were not injured. An examination of the wreckage by Federal Aviation Administration inspectors revealed substantial damage to the right wing. The fuel tank selector handle, which was located near the student pilot’s left leg, was found in the LEFT tank position. The left wing fuel tank was uncompromised and contained about ½ gallon of fuel. Although the flight instructor stated that he reminded the student several times to switch tanks, the student did not recall ever switching tanks during the flight. The pilots reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N33667
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7505166
- Built
- 1975
- Airframe hours
- 3,180
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4A, 180 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 30, 2023 · 55 hours before
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- FRG · Republic Airport, runway 1, 5,516 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display, 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
- 24
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 8, 2023
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 555 total · 35 in this make and model · 469 as pilot in command · 104 in the last 90 days · 42 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 42
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 22 total · 16 in this make and model · 12 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point 9 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.52 inHg
- Observed at
- KFRG, 1 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KFRG 201653Z 02003KT 10SM CLR 01/M13 A3052 RMK AO1 SLP335 T00061128
Docket · 6
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 12, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.8 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.