- Date
- March 10, 1983, 12:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Martinsville, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4944MPiper PA-20
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830310006889A
- Case key
- 20829
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
Reportedly, the plt took off with 36 gallons of fuel on board, of which, 10 gals was automobile low lead fuel. The automobile fuel had been purchased from an off airport gasoline station, was transported to the acft in 5 gal cans, then added to the fuel tanks with a filtered spout. The plt reported that he burned fuel from the right tank until the engine quit while the right gage indicated aprx 1/4 full. He restarted the engine & continued, using the left tank. The engine lost power again when the left fuel gage indicate aprx 1/2 full. The acft was over a hilly & wooded area at 4500 ft MSL. The plt found a suitable area for an emergency landing, but the right wing of the acft hit a tree short of the area. An exam revealed that the gascolator was clogged with unidentified contaminants. The gascolator was drained & checked during an annual inspection, 13 flt hrs prior to the accident. Before the annual inspection, the acft had been in storage for 10 yrs.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4944M
- Reported as
- Piper PA-20
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20-630
- Airframe hours
- 996
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Phillip T. Briggs
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 7, 1982 · 13 hours before
- Departed
- T02 · Houston, TX
- Destination
- 21TX · Texarkana, TX
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
- 34
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 221 total · 13 in this make and model · 188 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LFK, 38 nm away
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 N4944M · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.