# NTSB LAX03LA190: Piper PA-24-250, N5058P, Fallon, NV, June 10, 2003 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 10, 2003, 09:30 local (16:30 UTC) - Place: Fallon, NV - Coordinates: 39.683334, -118.748611 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.6833&lon=-118.7486&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report September 29, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 57191 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX03LA190 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/57191/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX03LA190 ## Probable cause The pilot's inadequate preflight and his mismanagement of the fuel supply by his failure to switch fuel tanks. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, cruise - fluid,fuel - starvation (cause) - aircraft preflight - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - fuel tank selector position - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - On ground/water collision with object, emergency landing - object - vehicle - object - sign ## Analysis The airplane collided with obstacles during an emergency landing on a highway following a loss of engine power during cruise flight. Prior to departure, the pilot had visually checked the airplane's fuel tanks, but did not use a dipstick or other means to quantify the fuel on board. He then set the fuel selector to the right tank deeming it the fullest one at an estimated ¾ capacity. Not wanting to wait for fuel, the pilot departed the airport and left the fuel selector on the right tank for the duration of the flight until the engine lost power. Post accident investigation of the aircraft by an A&P mechanic revealed the right tank to be "completely dry." The left still had ½ to 1 inch of fuel remaining. After refueling the aircraft, an engine run-up did not reveal any discrepancies with either the engine, the engine's fuel flow, or the engine driven and electrical fuel pumps. The pilot later stated that the accident could have been prevented by "not relying on the fuel gage" and by sticking the tanks "with a paint stick or something appropriate" instead of relying on a visual inspection to accurately determine fuel quantity in the tanks. ## Factual narrative On June 10, 2003, about 0930 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-24-250, N5058P, lost engine power during cruise and collided with obstacles during a forced landing on a highway near Fallon, Nevada. The pilot was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot was not injured; however, the airplane sustained substantial damage. The local personal flight departed Fallon Municipal Airport (FLX), Fallon, at 0815 for a flight to Derby Field (LOL), Lovelock, Nevada, where he completed a touch-and-go. The flight was returning to Fallon when the accident occurred. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The primary wreckage was at 39 degrees 41 minutes north latitude and 118 degrees 44 minutes west longitude. Prior to departure, the pilot had visually looked the airplane's fuel tanks, but did not use a dipstick or other means to quantify the amount of fuel on board. He then set the fuel selector to the right tank estimating it to be the fullest one at approximately ¾ capacity. Not wanting to wait for fuel, the pilot departed the airport and placed the fuel selector on the right tank for the duration of the flight until the engine failure. Upon returning from Lovelock, the airplane experienced a power failure during cruise at 5,500 feet. During the descent onto a highway, the pilot attempted to restart the engine by switching tanks, checking the magneto settings, and switching on the carburetor heat. The fuel selector, which had been set on the right tank for the entire flight, was switched to the left tank. Following this, the engine "gained rpm's but then quit again." The pilot then switched the selector back to the right tank, which still indicated fuel present. During the following landing sequence, the pilot maneuvered the airplane onto the highway, but was forced to swerve into a ditch to avoid an oncoming car. The wing then impacted several sign posts before the airplane came to rest in a ditch. Following the accident, an airplane mechanic checked the wing tanks and found the right one "completely dry." The left one had ½ to 1 inch of fuel remaining. A post accident fuel boost pump check produced fuel from the left tank. A later refueling and run-up did not reveal any discrepancies with either the engine, the engine's fuel flow, or the engine driven and electrical fuel pumps. In a written statement, the pilot said that the accident could have been prevented by "not relying on the fuel gage" and by sticking the tanks "with a paint stick or something appropriate" instead of relying on a visual inspection to accurately determine the fuel quantity in the tanks. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N5058P](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N5058P), registered now, S/N 24-507, built 1958 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-24-250 - Registry model: [Piper PA-24-250](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-24-250) (registry code 7102404) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-540 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-540-series) (registry code 41532, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 24-507 - Airframe hours: 3288 - Engines: Lycoming O-540 250 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, January 2, 2003 - Departed: KLOL, Lovelock, NV - Destination: KFLX, Fallon, NV ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 65; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review October 18, 2002; seat: left; flight hours: 164 total, 97 in this make and model, 58 as pilot in command, 8 in the last 90 days, 4 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: calm - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 72 °F, dew point 30 °F - Altimeter: 29.90 inHg - Observed at: KNFL, 15 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20030610012979A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030610012979A), Jun 10, 2003: Piper PA24250, Fallon, NV, Substantial damage. (-23) When returning from a part 91 flight the pilot of N5058P experienced a loss of engine power. Unable to restart engine the pilot made a dead stick… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.