- Date
- April 19, 1985, 09:25 local (14:25 UTC)
- Place
- Fellsmere, FL
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5836PPiper PA-24-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850419065369A
- Case key
- 31387
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
The acft made a forced landing due to fuel exhaustion in an open field. On the landing roll, the nosewheel struck a ditch causing it to fold and the acft came to a stop resting on it's nose. The plt had determined the amount of fuel on board prior to takeoff by sticking a twig in the tanks. The flt lasted for 40 mins. According to published info by the acft manufacturer, at 75% power at 1000 ft, fuel consumption is 10 gph. The plt stated he thought he had 22 gals of fuel prior to takeoff. An examination of the fuel tanks by FAA personnel after the accident revealed no usable fuel.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5836P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-917
- Airframe hours
- 4,175
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A1A5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- William . Rumpf
- Registered owner
- Donald E. Mcclamatham
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 15, 1985 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- X32 · Ellenton, FL
- Destination
- VERB · Vero Beach, FL
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
- 38
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 222 total · 25 in this make and model · 149 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VRB, 10 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.
Other investigations on N5836P · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.