- Date
- February 16, 2003, 15:20 local (20:20 UTC)
- Place
- Taylor Mill, KY
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N130CMPiper PA-31-350
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 28, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO-01
- FAA report
- 20030216001819A
- Case key
- 56504
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 inaccurate in-flight planning and fuel consumption calculations, and his improper decision not to land and refuel.
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, he planned the estimated the 726 statute mile flight would take approximately 3 hours and 46 minutes, with one stop to pick up cargo. The available fuel for the flight was 182 gallons, which equaled an approximate 4 hour and 55 minutes endurance, assuming a 40 gallon per hour fuel burn. The flight proceeded uneventfully to the first stop; the airplane was not fueled, and it departed. As the flight neared the destination airport, the pilot began to get nervous because the main tanks were "going fast." He switched to the auxiliary fuel tanks, to "get all of the fuel out of them," and switched back to the main tanks. While executing an approach to the airport, the pilot advised the approach controller that he had lost power to the right engine, and then shortly thereafter, reported losing power to the left engine. The pilot elected to perform a forced landing to a railroad yard. After touching down, the left wing struck a four-foot high dirt mound, and separated from the main fuselage. The airplane came to rest upright on a railroad track. The pilot additionally stated that the loss of power to both engines was due to fuel exhaustion, and poor fuel planning.
Factual narrative
On February 16, 2003, at 1520 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-31-350, N130CM, was substantially damaged during a forced landing, after a total loss of power to both engines near Taylor Mill, Kentucky. The certificated commercial pilot received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed the cargo flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 135.
According to the pilot, the flight originated at the Manhattan Regional Airport, Manhattan, Kansas, and was destined for the Cincinnati Municipal Airport (LUK), Cincinnati, Ohio, with a stop in Concordia, Kansas.
Prior to departing from Manhattan, the pilot planned the estimated the 726 statute mile flight would take approximately 3 hours and 46 minutes. The available fuel for the flight was 182 gallons, which equaled an approximate 4 hour and 55 minutes endurance, assuming a 40 gallon per hour fuel burn.
The flight proceeded uneventfully to Manhattan, where the pilot picked up his cargo, and departed for Cincinnati. The airplane was not fueled during the stop at Manhattan.
As the flight neared Cincinnati, the pilot began to get nervous because the main tanks were "going fast." He switched to the auxiliary fuel tanks, to "get all of the fuel out of them," and switched back to the main tanks while over Covington, Kentucky.
While executing the Runway 3R Back Course Localizer approach at LUK, the pilot advised the approach controller that he had lost power to the right engine, and then shortly thereafter, reported losing power to the left engine. The pilot elected to perform a forced landing to a railroad yard. After touching down, the left wing struck a four-foot high dirt mound, and separated from the main fuselage. The airplane came to rest upright on a railroad track.
The pilot additionally stated that the loss of power to both engines was due to fuel exhaustion, and poor fuel planning.
The pilot reported 3,050 hours of total flight experience, with 240 hours in make and model.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N130CM
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31-350
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-7652142
- Airframe hours
- 8,337
- Engines
- Textron Lycoming LTIO540J2BD, 350 horsepower, reciprocatingTextron Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Kansas Air Center Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 15, 2003 · 31 hours before
- Departed
- MHK · Manhattan, KS
- Destination
- LUK · Cincinnati, OH
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- LUK · Cincinnati Municipal, runway 3 R, 6,101 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 35
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- October 9, 2002
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,050 total · 240 in this make and model · 150 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 12 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,700 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 28 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- LUK, 8 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 1, 2004, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 343 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.