- Date
- February 28, 1988, 15:35 local (20:35 UTC)
- Place
- Plymouth, MA
- Injuries
- 4 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N5435PPiper PA-24-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 25, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880228003819A
- Case key
- 36108
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 pilot of the PA-24 said everything was normal until he switched fuel tanks and turned on the boost pump. He said a power loss followed. He was unable to get the engine restarted prior to making an off airport landing. A witness in the aircraft said the left fuel gage showed empty and the right showed 15 gallons. Post accident examination of the aircraft showed no fuel in the left tank and approximately 16 gallons in the right tank. No problems were found with the fuel system, tank selector valve or engine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5435P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-489
- Airframe hours
- 1,675
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A1A5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- G. Audet & Sons, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 25, 1987 · 87 hours before
- Departed
- 6BO · Middlebury, VT
- Airport
- PYM · Plymouth Municipal, runway 6, 3,500 × 75 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
- 42
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 403 total · 403 in this make and model · 403 as pilot in command · 32 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.