- Date
- July 31, 1992, 17:30 local (Aug 1, 1992, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Gila Bend, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3030RPiper PA-28R-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 14, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920731028659A
- Case key
- 27715
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
Fuel exhaustion due to the pilots inadequate preflight and inflight planning, and, his failure to refuel the aircraft.
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
According to the pilot the aircraft departed tucson, Arizona, on the morning of July 31 for a flight to yucca valley. When he was ready to depart on the return leg of the round robin cross country the pilot discovered that no fuel service was available at yucca valley and he departed with the intention of fueling the aircraft while enroute back to tucson. After departure from yucca valley, the aircraft by passed the airports at palm springs and thermal, then over flew blythe, California. Over blythe the pilot said he could not raise anyone on the UNICOM to verify if fuel was available. The next airport on the most direct routing to tucson was Gila Bend, Arizona. The aircraft was descending toward the Gila Bend airport when the engine quit. The aircraft landed short of the runway in a field and incurred substantial damage. No fuel was found in the aircraft fuel tanks.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3030R
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R35655
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Candle And Associates, doing business as Avra Valley Air
- Registered owner
- Candle And Associates
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 2, 1900 · 57 hours before
- Departed
- L22 · Yucca Valley, CA
- Destination
- E14 · Tucson, AZ
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 63
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,200 total · 10 in this make and model · 100 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 100 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.