- Date
- June 3, 2016, 20:00 local (Jun 4, 2016, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Loda, IL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5376PPiper PA 24
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report August 31, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20160603005949A
- Case key
- 93309
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 properly calculate the fuel consumption rate and to properly monitor the fuel status in flight, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and a subsequent forced landing, runway excursion, and impact with a fence.
Findings · 4
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 pilot reported that while at cruise on a cross country flight the engine experienced a total loss of power and he switched fuel tanks. The airplane restarted, and then a total loss of power occurred again. The pilot was forced to land the airplane on a private grass airstrip. During the landing roll the left main landing gear impacted a low spot in the ground, veered off the runway to the left and impacted a fence with the left wing. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. A postaccident examination revealed that the right and left fuel tanks were empty, and no fuel leaks could be identified. Fuel Management The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Air Safety Foundation has published Safety Advisor SA16-01/05 Fuel Awareness (2005). This document discusses recommendations regarding fuel management for pilots and states in part: 1. Know How Much Fuel You Have - The first step in knowing how much fuel you have is to think of fuel not in gallons or pounds but hours and minutes. The Air Safety Foundation recommends that pilots of unfamiliar airplanes add one or two gallons per hour to their computed fuel consumption until they see how much that airplane actually burns. 2. Know Your Airplane's Fuel System - Pilots must also be familiar with and proficient in operating the fuel system on their airplanes. 3. Know What's in Your Fuel Tanks - Pilots must ensure their airplane contains the proper grade of uncontaminated fuel. 4. Update Your Fuel Status Regularly During Flight - It's good to do thorough preflight planning but, once in the air, things can change. Winds are rarely exactly as forecast and weather deviations add miles and minutes to your trip. The Air Safety Foundation recommends that pilots evaluate their fuel status each hour. 5. Always Land with Adequate Reserve Fuel - Aviation regulations require different fuel reserves for different operations. The Air Safety Foundation recommends that pilots never land with less than one hour of fuel in the tanks. That way all the regulatory reserve requirements are met and exceeded by at least 15 minutes.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that while at cruise on a cross country flight the engine experienced a total loss of power and he switched fuel tanks. The airplane restarted, and then a total loss of power occurred again. The pilot was forced to land the airplane on a private grass airstrip. During the landing roll the left main landing gear impacted a low spot in the ground, veered off the runway to the left and impacted a fence with the left wing. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. A postaccident examination revealed that the right and left fuel tanks were empty, and no fuel leaks could be identified. Fuel Management The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Air Safety Foundation has published Safety Advisor SA16-01/05 Fuel Awareness (2005). This document discusses recommendations regarding fuel management for pilots and states in part: 1. Know How Much Fuel You Have - The first step in knowing how much fuel you have is to think of fuel not in gallons or pounds but hours and minutes. The Air Safety Foundation recommends that pilots of unfamiliar airplanes add one or two gallons per hour to their computed fuel consumption until they see how much that airplane actually burns. 2. Know Your Airplane's Fuel System - Pilots must also be familiar with and proficient in operating the fuel system on their airplanes. 3. Know What's in Your Fuel Tanks - Pilots must ensure their airplane contains the proper grade of uncontaminated fuel. 4. Update Your Fuel Status Regularly During Flight - It's good to do thorough preflight planning but, once in the air, things can change. Winds are rarely exactly as forecast and weather deviations add miles and minutes to your trip. The Air Safety Foundation recommends that pilots evaluate their fuel status each hour. 5. Always Land with Adequate Reserve Fuel - Aviation regulations require different fuel reserves for different operations. The Air Safety Foundation recommends that pilots never land with less than one hour of fuel in the tanks. That way all the regulatory reserve requirements are met and exceeded by at least 15 minutes.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5376P
- Reported as
- Piper PA 24 (250)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-426
- Built
- 1958
- Airframe hours
- 1,312.3
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A1A, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 5, 2015
- Departed
- EWK · Newton, KS
- Destination
- 50I · Kentland, IN
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, Handheld GPS, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Stall warning system
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
- 77
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 30, 2014
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 17,168 total · 216 in this make and model · 6,542 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.07 inHg
- Observed at
- KTIP, 16 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 24, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.3 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.
Other investigations on N5376P · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.