- Date
- May 2, 1997, 01:25 local (05:25 UTC)
- Place
- Washington, DC
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1044PPiper PA-23
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report April 24, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970502007359A
- Case key
- 28191
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
total loss of power on both engines due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's improper fuel consumption calculations.
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 pilot stated that while en route, the right engine lost power. The pilot alerted air traffic control and he was vectored to Dulles International Airport . The pilot stated that he had the airport in sight when the left engine lost power. The pilot notified air traffic control that he was not going to make the runway, and the airplane impacted trees about 1000 feet short of runway 1. The pilot reported that in the course of his flight planning he misread the fuel quantity for the airplane as 108 gallons, which is the quantity for the auxiliary tank configuration. The pilot stated that he failed to catch his mistake until after the accident had occurred.
Factual narrative
On May 2, 1997, at about 0125 eastern daylight time, N1044P, a Piper PA-23, operated by the commercial pilot, sustained substantial damage after impacting trees about 1000 feet short of runway 010 while executing an emergency landing/approach to Washington Dulles International Airport, Washington, DC. The pilot stated that both engines failed. The pilot and one passenger his wife, sustained minor injuries. Visual Meteorological conditions existed and an Instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed. The flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated from the Lake in the Hills Airport, Lake in the Hills, Illinois, at about 2030 EDT on May 1, 1997.
The pilot stated that while enroute to Washington's National Airport, the right engine quite. He contacted Air Traffic and they vectored him to Dulles International Airport. The pilot stated that he had Dulles insight when the left engine quit. The pilot notified Air Traffic that they were not going to make the runway and crashed into the tops of trees and came to rest nose down in the trees.
The pilot stated the in the course of his flight planning he mistakenly read the fuel quantity for the aircraft as 108 gallons, which is the quantity for the auxiliary tank configuration. The pilot stated that he failed to catch his mistake until after the accident had occurred.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1044P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 23-46
- Airframe hours
- 3,843
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A3B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Belvidere Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 26, 1997 · 8 hours before
- Departed
- 3CK · Lake Hills, IL
- Destination
- DCA · DC
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- IAD · Dulles International, runway 1, 11,500 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,363 total · 31 in this make and model · 589 as pilot in command · 74 in the last 90 days · 24 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 320° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- IAD, 1 nm away
Docket · 6
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 25, 1998, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.6 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.