- Date
- November 23, 1986, 16:55 local (Nov 24, 1986, 00:55 UTC)
- Place
- Merced, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8474WPiper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 25476
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
During the return leg of a round robin cross country, the aircraft experienced a loss of power approximately 10 miles from the destination airport. About 15 minutes earlier, the pilot had deliberately run the left fuel tank dry. At that time, the right tank indicated that 6 to 7 gallons of fuel was remaining. During a forced landing in a soft field, the aircraft hit a furrow and nosed over. After the accident, less than one quart of fuel was found remaining.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8474W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 282716
- Airframe hours
- 5,046
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Stephen R. Hoffman
- Registered owner
- David Broadwater
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 18, 1986 · 38 hours before
- Departed
- EMT · El Monte, CA
- Destination
- MCE · Merced, CA
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
- 39
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 5,121 total · 36 in this make and model · 3,275 as pilot in command · 49 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 330° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MER, 11 nm away
Other investigations on N8474W · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.