- Date
- April 6, 2001, 19:30 local (Apr 7, 2001, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Pearland, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N4514YPiper PA-25-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report October 9, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20010406006079A
- Case key
- 52040
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 failure to refuel the airplane, which resulted in fuel exhaustion while in the traffic pattern.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot returned to his home base after a banner towing flight. He experienced difficulty releasing the banner and landed on the grass between two runways. He dragged the banner on the ground and it eventually released; however, he was too close to the end of the runway to stop, so he performed a go-around. While he was in the traffic pattern, "he ran out of fuel" and the engine "quit." The pilot was unable to make it back to the runway and elected to make a forced landing into trees in a residential area. Subsequently, the airplane impacted the trees.
Factual narrative
On April 6, 2001, at 1930 central daylight time, a Piper PA-25-235 Pawnee single-engine airplane, N4514Y, was substantially damaged when it impacted trees in a residential area during a forced landing following a loss of engine power on approach at Clover Field, Pearland, Texas. The airplane was registered to a private individual and was operated by Night Hawk Aerial Advertising of Pearland, Texas. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 banner towing flight. The local flight originated from Clover Field at 1715.
According to the FAA inspector, who responded to the accident site, the pilot stated that he returned to Clover Field after a banner towing flight over downtown Houston. He stated that he experienced difficulty releasing the banner and landed on the grass between runways 14L and 14R. He stated that he dragged the banner on the ground and it eventually released; however, he was too close to the end of the runway to stop, so he performed a go-around. The pilot told the FAA inspector that while he was in the traffic pattern "he ran out of fuel" and the engine "quit." The pilot was unable to make it back to the runway and elected to make a forced landing into trees in a residential area. The airplane impacted the trees, its left wing separated, and the right wing and fuselage sustained substantial damage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4514Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-25-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-4066
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Night Hawk Aerial Advertising
- Registered owner
- Charles Stuart Williams
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Departed
- LVJ · Pearland, TX
- Airport
- LVJ · Clover Field, runway 14L, 2,800 × 90 ft, grass/turf
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
- 36
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- September 5, 2000
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 801 total · 137 in this make and model · 739 as pilot in command · 147 in the last 90 days · 58 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 150° at 15 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,000 ft overcast
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 N4514Y · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.