# NTSB NYC08LA172: Piper PA-28-160, N5426W, Richmond Hill, GA, April 30, 2008 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: April 30, 2008, 11:30 local (15:30 UTC) - Place: Richmond Hill, GA - Coordinates: 31.829999, -81.295829 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=31.8300&lon=-81.2958&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute-cruise: Fuel exhaustion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 2 serious, 1 minor - Status: Completed, report August 28, 2008 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA/FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 67911 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=NYC08LA172 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/67911/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC08LA172 ## Probable cause The loss of engine power during cruise flight due to fuel exhaustion, and the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Inspection: preflight inspection](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061510): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-28, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061510/cases.md?model=7102801), [All aircraft, 551 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061510/cases.md) - [Fluids: fuel](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010): Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware · Fluid level (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-28, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md?model=7102801), [All aircraft, 1,695 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md) - [Object/animal/substance: wire](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022032): Environmental issues › Physical environment · Not specified (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-28, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022032/cases.md?model=7102801), [All aircraft, 588 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022032/cases.md) - [Object/animal/substance: tree(s)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022020): Environmental issues › Physical environment · Not specified (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-28, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022020/cases.md?model=7102801), [All aircraft, 933 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022020/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Enroute-cruise: Fuel exhaustion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192) (defining event); cases with it: [Piper PA-28, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192/sequence.md?model=7102801), [All aircraft, 804 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192/sequence.md) - [Emergency descent: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Piper PA-28, 6 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=7102801), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot flew cross-country from his home airport to another airport, and upon arrival, requested that the airplane's fuel tanks be "topped off." The following morning, the pilot flew to a third airport, where the fuel tanks were again topped off. After departing that airport, the pilot flew locally for about 1.5 hours, and then flew another 1.5 hours back to the second airport. Upon arrival, he requested that the airplane be "fully fueled" before his departure to his home airport, 3 days later. On the morning of his departure, the pilot first went to the fixed base operator, and paid for 4-nights' parking and 42.3 gallons of fuel. During the preflight inspection of the airplane, the pilot did not remove the fuel caps to check the quantity. After takeoff, he noted that the fuel gauges indicated half full for each tank, which he believed to be normal for that indicating system when starting with full tanks. About 2 hours later, the fuel gauges still indicated approximately half full. Some time later, the engine sputtered, then lost all power. The pilot switched to the other fuel tank, which was then indicating about one fourth full, and he was able to restart the engine. The pilot declared an emergency, and turned the airplane toward an airport; however, about 5 minutes later, the engine quit, and the pilot could not restart it. The pilot then attempted a forced landing to a road, but impacted trees. A postflight examination of the airplane revealed only trace amounts of fuel onboard. Fuel receipts confirmed that the airplane was initially topped off with 42.3 gallons of fuel at the second airport, but that during the subsequent visit, no fuel was pumped. When the pilot paid for his fuel, he thought he was paying for two refuelings, when he was actually only paying for one. ## Factual narrative On April 30, 2008, about 1130 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-160, N5426W, was substantially damaged during a forced landing in Richmond Hill, Georgia. The certificated private pilot and one passenger were seriously injured, and the other passenger incurred minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight from Kissimmee Gateway Airport (ISM), Kissimmee, Florida, to Fayetteville Regional Airport (FAY), Fayetteville, North Carolina. The personal flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to the pilot, he first flew to Kissimmee on April 26, 2008, and upon arrival, requested that the airplane's fuel tanks be "topped off." The following morning, the pilot flew to Orlando Apopka Airport (X04), Apopka, Florida, to visit his son. The pilot then flew from Apopka to Immokalee Airport (IMM), Immokalee Florida, where the fuel tanks were again topped off. After departing Immokalee, the pilot flew locally for about 1.5 hours, and then flew another 1.5 hours back to Kissimmee. Upon arrival, he requested that the airplane be "fully fueled" before his departure on April 30th. On the morning of his departure, the pilot first went to the fixed base operator and paid for 4 nights of parking and 43 gallons of fuel. The pilot did not remove the fuel caps to check the quantity, "as I was holding in my hands a receipt for 43 gallons purchased." After takeoff, the pilot noted that the fuel gauges indicated half full for each tank, "which is normal for this airplane which usually takes a while for pressure to build up and gauges to indicate properly. This reading did not appear out of the ordinary from past experiences in fully fueling the plane." About 2 hours into the flight, the pilot noted that the fuel gauges still indicated approximately half full. Some time later, the engine sputtered, then lost all power. The pilot switched to the other fuel tank, which was then indicating about one fourth full, and he was able to restart the engine. The pilot then contacted Savannah Approach Control, declared an emergency, and turned toward an airport about 22 miles away. About 5 minutes after declaring the emergency, the engine quit, and the pilot could not restart it. The pilot then attempted a forced landing to a road, and remembered descending past trees, but did not recall anything else until waking up with emergency personnel assisting him. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the airplane hit trees and a transmission line, and came to rest, nose down, in a yard. There were no indications of engine power, and there were only trace amounts of fuel in the tanks with no significant fuel spillage at the scene. There were also no mechanical anomalies noted with the airplane. A review of fuel receipts and a Kissimmee Jet Center Fuel Ticket revealed that on April 26, 2008, the airplane was topped off with 42.3 gallons of fuel. On April 27, 2008, at Immokalee Airport, the airplane was fueled with 21.5 gallons of fuel. On April 30, 2008, at Kissimmee, the pilot paid for the 42.3 gallons of fuel that were previously pumped on April 26th. The pilot obtained his private pilot certificate on April 23, 2008. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N5426W](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5426W-2008-08-22), registration cancelled 2008-08-22, S/N 28-498, built 1962 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-28-160 - Registry model: [Piper PA-28](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28) (registry code 7102801) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 28-498 - Airframe hours: 3196 - Engines: Lycoming O-320 160 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Terry Lee Scallan - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, October 1, 2007 - Departed: ISM, Kissimmee, FL - Destination: FAY, Fayetteville, NC ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 56; injuries: serious; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3; last flight review April 1, 2008; seat: left; flight hours: 151 total, 75 in this make and model, 78 as pilot in command, 43 in the last 90 days, 12 in the last 30 days, 2 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: calm - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 68 °F, dew point 39 °F - Altimeter: 30.14 inHg - Observed at: SAV, 27 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20080430837309A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20080430837309A), Apr 30, 2008: Piper PA28160, Richmond Hill, GA, Destroyed. (-23) On 4/30/2008 at approximately 0830L the pilot, [privacy data omitted] was preparing for a flight from ism to fay. During the preflight inspection… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.