- Date
- February 1, 1995, 15:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Buckeye, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8950NPiper PA-32-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 23, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950201003519A
- Case key
- 29020
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
a loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
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
The pilot experienced a loss of engine power while cruising at 6,500 feet. Attempts to restart were unsuccessful and a forced landing was made to a field. The fuel selector was found positioned on the left tip tank which contained 11 gallons of fuel. The right fuel tank was found empty. The engine was started and it ran for about 5 minutes at 1,500 RPM with no problems noted.
Factual narrative
On February 1, 1995, at 1500 hours mountain standard time, the pilot of a Piper PA-32-300, N8950N, experienced a loss of engine power and made a forced landing into a dirt field damaging the nose and main landing gear near Buckeye, Arizona. The aircraft was substantially damaged and the pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the pleasure flight. The aircraft departed Mesa, Arizona, at 1430 hours for a flight to Riverside, California.
According to the pilot, he lost engine power while cruising at 6,500 feet, about 30 minutes after takeoff. Attempts to restart were unsuccessful. The pilot selected a field south of the freeway and landed, damaging the aircraft.
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the fuel tanks afterwards. He found that the right main fuel tank was empty, the right tip tank was full; the left main fuel tank had 15 gallons, and the left tip tank had 11 gallons of fuel remaining. The fuel selector was found positioned on the left tip tank.
The inspector supervised the starting of the engine. It started on the first attempt and ran at 1,500 rpm for about 5 minutes without any problems noted. The pilot wrote in his report that fuel line cavitation was suspected.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8950N
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-7740751
- Airframe hours
- 2,254
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1G5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Harry E. Brown
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 1, 1995 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- FFZ · Mesa, AZ
- Destination
- RAL · Riverside, 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
- 59
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,035 total · 300 in this make and model · 7 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.