- Date
- June 26, 1989, 03:00 local (08:00 UTC)
- Place
- Cleveland, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N601MFPiper PA-601B
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report March 29, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890626017619A
- Case key
- 22884
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
A loss of engine power, due to fuel starvation because the plt misjudged his fuel supply and distribution of fuel per tanks, and as a result mismanaged the supply remaining.
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
Airplane was on a regular night part 135 flight and was 17 miles from destination when one engine started to surge and lost power. The pilot declared an emergency and said he was running out of fuel. ATC vectored airplane to closest airport but airport did not have beacon lighted and pilot was low over airport before he saw it. Then the other engine surged and the pilot made a forced landing off the airport in heavy underbrush and rough terrain. Inspection revealed airplane had 23 gallons of fuel in right wing, 3 gallons in fuselage tank, and zero fuel in left tank. Plt said after the acc he decided not to cross feed because he thought the fuselage tank had enough fuel.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N601MF
- Reported as
- Piper PA-601B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 6108388162
- Airframe hours
- 2,056
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540, 290 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Conroe Aviation Services, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 14, 1989 · 58 hours before
- Departed
- BTR · Baton Rouge, LA
- Destination
- CXO · Conroe, TX
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- 6R3 · Municipal
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
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,624 total · 30 in this make and model · 1,500 as pilot in command · 322 in the last 90 days · 78 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 120° at 20 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 70 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.