# NTSB LAX04LA109: Piper PA 22-160, N8718D, Carefree, AZ, January 17, 2004 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: January 17, 2004, 11:00 local (18:00 UTC) - Place: Carefree, AZ - Coordinates: 34, -111.716667 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.0000&lon=-111.7167&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report December 28, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 58680 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX04LA109 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/58680/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX04LA109 ## Probable cause The pilot's inadequate fuel management by his failure to switch the fuel tank selector position, which resulted in fuel starvation, a loss of engine power. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power, cruise - fuel management - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - fluid,fuel - starvation (cause) - fuel tank selector position - incorrect, pilot in command (cause) - Forced landing, descent - emergency - On ground/water collision with object, landing - roll - terrain condition - rock(s)/boulder(s) ## Analysis The airline transport pilot reported that the airplane's engine lost power during cruise, and the airplane collided with rocks during the emergency landing on a beach. At the accident site, the right fuel tank was discovered to be empty, and the fuel selector positioned to the right tank. Recovery personnel operating under the supervision of FAA personnel, successfully ran the engine up to 2,300 rpm at a follow-up examination. ## Factual narrative On January 17, 2004, about 1130 mountain standard time, a PA 22-160, N8718D, lost engine power during cruise, and the pilot made an off airport emergency landing approximately 15 nautical miles east of Carefree, Arizona. The pilot, also the registered owner, was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The airline transport pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight departed Payson Airport (PAN), Payson, Arizona, about 1100, en route to Falcon Field (FFZ), Mesa, Arizona. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. In a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge, the pilot reported that during cruise flight, the engine lost partial power. He went through his emergency checklist, but the engine did not regain power. The pilot continually applied the primer to maintain the engine speed between 1,200 and 1,500 rpm. He landed on a beach at Bartlett Lake, and collided with rocks during the landing roll. The pilot manually shut the engine down. Recovery personnel reported that the right fuel tank was empty, and the fuel selector was on the right tank. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector supervised examination of the airplane at Air Transport, Inc., Phoenix, Arizona. Recovery personnel started the engine, and successfully ran it up to 2,300 rpm. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N8718D](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N8718D), registered now, S/N 22-5899, built 1958 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA 22-160 - Registry model: [Piper PA-22-160](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-22-160) (registry code 7102214) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 22-5899 - Engines: Lycoming O 320 B2A 160 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Richard Migas - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, April 1, 2003, 335 hours before - Departed: PAN, Payson, AZ - Destination: FFZ, Falcon Field, AZ ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 62; injuries: none; airline transport, flight engineer; airplane ratings: single-engine sea, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 4 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 61 °F, dew point 30 °F - Altimeter: 29.96 inHg - Observed at: KSDL, 25 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 20040117003649A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040117003649A), Jan 17, 2004: Piper PA22160, Phoenix, AZ, Minor damage. (-23) The pilot was cruising near bartlett lake, AZ. (Approx. 20 miles n.e. of phx) when he experienced the engine having symptoms of "fuel starvation." The… ## Other investigations on N8718D (1) 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. - [NTSB DEN66D0050](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN66D0050), Jul 4, 1965: Piper PA-22 (N8718D), Lavida Miss, NM, substantial damage 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.