- Date
- December 28, 1990, 02:37 local (07:37 UTC)
- Place
- Elbridge, NY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8434HPiper PA-34-200T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901228056339I
- Case key
- 36813
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
The failure of the pilot to conduct a proper preflight inspection of the fuel tanks, and a misreading fuel gauge which resulted in a double power loss.
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 experienced surging followed by a double power loss during a descent in IMC conditions at night. He broke out at 1000 ft AGL, found a field and executed a forced landing. The airplane received minor damage. The FAA did a post incident examination of the airplane and found the fuel tanks intact and empty. The pilot was interviewed and said he saw the fuel truck pull up to his airplane and then leave shortly thereafter. Another company pilot told him he could pick up his fuel slip on the return trip. On the preceding flight the pilot said the left fuel gauge was reading more than the right fuel gauge. When checked by the FAA, after the incident, the left fuel gauge indicated full and the right fuel gauge indicated empty.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8434H
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-200T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-8133219
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360KB, 220 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Central Skyport, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- AGC · Alleghney Co., PA
- Destination
- SYR · Syracuse, NY
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- NONE
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
- 26
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 3,700 total · 500 in this make and model · 3,200 as pilot in command · 330 in the last 90 days · 110 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,200 ft overcast
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
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 N8434H · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.