# NTSB LAX07CA151: Piper PA-28-181, N2834U, Las Vegas, NV, May 5, 2007 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: May 4, 2007, 20:30 local (May 5, 2007, 03:30 UTC) - Place: Las Vegas, NV - Coordinates: 36.080001, -115.152221 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.0800&lon=-115.1522&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor, 2 uninjured; on the ground: 1 minor - Status: Completed, report July 25, 2007 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 65731 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX07CA151 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/65731/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX07CA151 ## Probable cause fuel starvation due to the pilot's inadequate fuel system management. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical, approach - iaf to faf/outer marker (ifr) - fluid,fuel - starvation (cause) - fuel management - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - Forced landing, descent - emergency - On ground/water collision with object, emergency landing - terrain condition - congested/confined area - object - vehicle ## Analysis The airplane collided with three automobiles during a forced landing on a city street following a loss of engine power after nearly 4 hours of flight. Unable to make the airport, the pilot attempted to land the airplane on a street. The right wing separated during the collision, and the fuel tank ruptured. An FAA inspector observed no fuel in the tank remnants or spillage in the vicinity. The left wing was intact, and contained about 10 gallons of fuel. A maintenance technician examined the engine under the supervision of the FAA. He plumbed a 5-gallon gas can into the airplane's fuel system. He energized the electric pump, and confirmed 5 psi on the fuel pressure gauge. He started the engine within three revolutions of the propeller, and allowed the engine to reach operating temperature. He ran the engine up to 1,800 rpm, and completed a magneto check. Both magnetos dropped about 70 rpm. He then reduced the power to idle, and the engine stabilized at 850 rpm. He checked acceleration from idle to maximum power, and the engine accelerated normally. He repeated this test three times, and the engine responded without hesitating or stalling. Upon shutdown, the idle rpm rise was normal. ## Factual narrative On May 4, 2007, about 2030 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-28-181, N2834U, lost engine power and collided with obstacles during a forced landing near Las Vegas, Nevada. Trojan Aviation LLC, Farmington, New Mexico, was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The commercial pilot and one passenger were not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The cross-country personal flight departed Four Corners Regional Airport, Farmington (FMN), about 1700 mountain daylight time, with a planned destination of McCarran International Airport (LAS), Las Vegas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed. The pilot submitted a written report. He stated that after an uneventful 3.9-hour flight he was on 2-mile final for runway 1L at LAS, when the engine lost power. He placed the mixture control full forward, turned the boost pump on, and verified that the magnetos were on. In a statement to the FAA accident coordinator, he indicated that he switched to the right fuel tank as part of the checklist, and the engine and propeller stopped. Just prior to landing, he turned the fuel selector to the OFF position, and turned off all electrical systems except the radios and master switch. He secured them after landing. The airplane touched down on Las Vegas Boulevard's northbound lane, which was empty. Just prior to touchdown, a vehicle turned into his path. The airplane hit that car plus two other vehicles. The FAA inspector noted that the right wing separated, and the fuel tank ruptured. He did not observe any fuel in the tank remnants or spillage in the vicinity. He said that the left wing was intact, and contained about 10 gallons of fuel. The pilot told the FAA that he switched tanks after every hour of flight. The last change was to the left tank at CROWE intersection, approximately 30 minutes prior to arrival. He later told an NTSB investigator that the right tank still contained fuel prior to switching to the left tank. The pilot met with the FAA a week later. He stated that throughout the descent the engine was at reduced power, and he did not use carburetor heat. In a telephone conversation with the Safety Board, he stated that 30 minutes prior to his arrival, at approximately 12,000 feet, he encountered light structural icing. He descended to 10,000 feet, and the ice dissipated; he noted the temperature during the encounter to be 0 degrees Celsius. Throughout his approach, he encountered intermittent cloud obscuration. Review of a carburetor icing probability chart disclosed that the temperature and dew point reported by the airport was outside of chart area predicting the possibility of carburetor ice. A maintenance technician examined the engine under the supervision of the FAA. He plumbed a 5-gallon gas can into the airplane's fuel system. He energized the electric pump, and confirmed 5 psi on the fuel pressure gauge. He started the engine within three revolutions of the propeller, and allowed the engine to reach operating temperature. He ran the engine up to 1,800 rpm, and completed a magneto check. Both magnetos dropped about 70 rpm. He then reduced the power to idle, and the engine stabilized at 850 rpm. He checked acceleration from idle to maximum power, and the engine accelerated normally. He repeated this test three times, and the engine responded without hesitating or stalling. Upon shutdown, the idle rpm rise was normal. In his opinion, there were no discrepancies or anomalies that accounted for the loss of engine power. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N2834U](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2834U-2013-07-18), registration cancelled 2013-07-18, S/N 28-7990479, built 1979 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-28-181 - Registry model: [Piper PA-28-181](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-181) (registry code 7102807) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming O&VO-360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (registry code 41514, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 28-7990479 - Airframe hours: 1622.72 - Engines: Lycoming O-360 reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Trojan Aviation LLC - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility - Last inspection: Annual, June 1, 2006 - Departed: FMN, FARMINGTON, NM - Destination: LAS, LAS VEGAS, NV - Flight plan: IFR - Airport: LAS, Mc Carran Intl, runway 1L, 8,985 × 150 ft, concrete ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 25; injuries: none; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1; last flight review February 1, 2007; flight hours: 323 total, 39 in this make and model, 267 as pilot in command, 88 in the last 90 days, 21 in the last 30 days, 5 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Night - Wind: 350° at 22 knots, gusting 30 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 11,000 ft broken - Temperature: 66 °F, dew point 18 °F - Altimeter: 29.62 inHg - Observed at: LAS, 2 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 20070504009889A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20070504009889A), May 4, 2007: Piper PA28181, Las Vegas, NV, Destroyed. (-23) Inspector statement: on may 4, 2007 at approximately 2045 PDT I arrived at the scene of an aircraft accident at the intersection Las Vegas blvd, and warm… 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.