- Date
- May 7, 2018, 23:00 local (May 8, 2018, 04:00 UTC)
- Place
- Addison, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N642RJPiper PA28
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report October 24, 2018
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180507024579A
- Case key
- 97207
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 inadequate preflight fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Findings · 3
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 he departed with about 40 to 45 gallons of fuel for a calculated 3.9-tach-hour flight with a 10 gallon per hour fuel burn. He added that, en route, the engine sputtered, and he knew the right fuel tank was empty. He switched to the left fuel tank and continued to the destination airport. About 30 minutes from the destination airport, the engine sputtered and experienced a total loss of power. During the forced landing, the airplane landed in a parking lot and impacted a pole. The pilot reported that the airplane "ran out of gas." The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he departed with about 40 to 45 gallons of fuel for a calculated 3.9 tach hour flight with a 10 gallon per hour fuel burn. He added that, en route, the engine sputtered and he knew the right fuel tank was empty. He switched to the left fuel tank and continued to the destination airport. About 30 minutes from the destination airport, the engine sputtered and experienced a total loss of power. During the forced landing, the airplane landed in a parking lot and impacted a pole. The pilot reported that the airplane "ran out of gas". The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N642RJ
- Reported as
- Piper PA28 (180)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-1409
- Built
- 1963
- Airframe hours
- 4,471
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360 SER, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 20, 2018
- Departed
- TUP · Tupelo, MS
- Destination
- WEA · Weatherford, TX
- Airport
- ADS · Addison
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Handheld GPS
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
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 21, 2016
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 210 total · 138 in this make and model · 210 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 160° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- KADS, 2 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 9, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.0 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.