- Date
- July 22, 1991, 16:50 local (20:50 UTC)
- Place
- Templeton, MA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N54819Piper PA-23-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 27, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910722029109A
- Case key
- 36969
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
Fuel starvation induced power loss on first the left engine due to a failed fuel fitting and then the right engine due to a worn fuel fitting. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
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
During a day cross-country flight the airplane experienced a complete loss of left engine power. Normal restart procedures which included a selection of the cross-feed position failed to restore power to the left engine. The pilot diverted to an en route airport for a single engine approach and landing. As the pilot initiated a single engine go-around, a complete power loss occurred to the right engine. The airplane impacted trees and terrain off the departure end of the runway. Investigation revealed a broken fuel fitting on the left fuel selector unit and worn threads on a fuel fitting on the right engine. This resulted in the fuel starvation power loss to both engines.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N54819
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27-7554116
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-C1A, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Charles O'Donnell
- Registered owner
- J.P. Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- EEN · Keene, NH
- Airport
- GDM · Gardner Municipal, runway 36, 3,000 × 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
- 41
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 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.