- Date
- October 31, 1985, 12:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Yantis, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9348WPiper PA-28-235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851031055539A
- Case key
- 21920
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
The acft contacted a tree and a large bale of hay during a forced landing following a loss of pwr. Post accident inspection disclosed 18 gallons of fuel remained in the left main tank and 3 gallons remained in the left wing tip tank. Both right wing fuel tanks were ruptured. A very small amount of fuel was found in the fuel lines and the fuel strainer bowl at the bottom of the fuel selector valve was empty. Examination of the fuel selector revealed the valve seat to theright tip tank was coated with dirt and debris preventing the valve form seating. This would allow the eng driven fuel pump to draw air when the right tip tank was emptied.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9348W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-11035
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-B4B5, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Operator
- Miller Aircraft Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 11, 1985 · 56 hours before
- Departed
- 3R3 · Austin, TX
- Destination
- 3I7 · Phillipsburg, OH
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 771 total · 560 in this make and model · 704 as pilot in command · 69 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TYLE, 35 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.