- Date
- November 22, 1988, 17:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Palmyra, NY
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2885GPiper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report June 25, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881122051739A
- Case key
- 36338
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
Off airport landing in a canal following a power loss caused by fuel exhaustion due to miscalculated fuel burn by the pilot.
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 aircraft was enroute when the pilot said he experienced a power loss due to fuel exhaustion. The aircraft landed in a canal and the pilot and two passengers swam to shore. The pilot had changed his destination from niagara falls to rochester while in contact with syracuse approach control, due to low fuel; however, he did not advise syracuse of the situation and attempted to continue another 68 miles. He ran out of fuel 20 miles short of his destination of rochester, new york.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2885G
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-809-0001
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Martin Cavanaugh
- Registered owner
- Beverly Flight Center
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- BVY · Beverly, MA
- Destination
- ROC · Rochester, NY
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 25
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 230 total · 2 in this make and model · 129 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 50° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 11,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 19 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ROC, 19 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.