- Date
- August 2, 2008, 08:40 local (13:40 UTC)
- Place
- Mc Kinnon, TN
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4377JPiper PA-28-140
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20080802841729A
- Case key
- 68582
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
The pilot's inadequate fuel consumption calculations which led to fuel exhaustion and subsequent loss of engine power.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot of a Piper PA-28-140 stated that he estimated he had about 12 gallons of fuel when he started the airplane and departed to attend a breakfast fly-in. He climbed to a cruising altitude of 2,500 feet for the planned 35 to 40-minute-flight. When he was between 3.5 to 4 miles from his destination airport, he initiated a descent down to 2,000 feet and leveled the airplane. The engine sputtered and he initially thought he had a problem with carburetor ice. He applied carburetor heat, turned the boost pump on, checked the mixture was full rich, pumped the throttle, and the engine stopped. He initiated a forced landing to the trees when he realized he could not land at the destination airport. The pilot stated he did not have any mechanical problems with the airplane before the accident and "the loss of engine power was due to fuel starvation." Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the left and right main fuel tanks were not ruptured. No fuel was present in the left main fuel tank and about 1 cup of fuel was present in the right main fuel tank.
Factual narrative
The pilot of a Piper PA-28-140 stated he estimated he had about 12 gallons of fuel when he started the airplane and departed to attend a breakfast fly-in. He climbed to a cruising altitude of 2,500 feet for the planned 35 to 40-minute-flight.. When he was between 3.5 to 4 miles from his destination airport, he initiated a descent down to 2,000 feet and leveled the airplane. The engine sputtered and he initially thought he had a problem with carburetor ice. He applied carburetor heat, turned the boost pump on, checked the mixture was full rich, pumped the throttle, and the engine stopped. He initiated a forced landing to the trees when he realized he could not land at the destination airport. The pilot stated he did not have any mechanical problems with the airplane before the accident and "the loss of engine power was due to fuel starvation." Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the left and right main fuel tanks were not ruptured. No fuel was present in the left main fuel tank and about 1 cup of fuel was present in the right main fuel tank.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4377J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-22763
- Airframe hours
- 2,672
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Russell L. Sandstead
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 2007 · 35 hours before
- Departed
- 06TN · Columbia, TN
- Destination
- M93 · Mc Kinnon, TN
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
- 60
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 1, 2007
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 509 total · 352 in this make and model · 509 as pilot in command · 16 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 77 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.88 inHg
- Observed at
- HOP, 33 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.