- Date
- September 9, 1996, 18:15 local (22:15 UTC)
- Place
- Closter, NJ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1792TPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 23, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960909046669A
- Case key
- 39240
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
The pilot's improper fuel management, which resulted in a power loss due to fuel exhaustion, followed by the airplane striking a tree during a 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
The pilot had been airborne for 4 hours, 20 minutes, on an aerial observation flight, in a Piper PA-28-140, and was returning to his departure airport, when the engine lost power. He switched fuel tanks, but was unable to get the engine running again. He made a forced landing on a golf course. During the ground roll, the left wing struck a tree, which ruptured the fuel tank and bent the wing backwards. Examination of the airplane revealed that the right wing fuel tank was empty, and there was no evidence of a fuel spill from the ruptured left wing fuel tank. The pilot reported that he had departed with 36 gallons onboard and planned on a fuel burn of 7 gallons per hour.
Factual narrative
On September 9, 1996, about 1815 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N1792T, operated by Multi Air Service Inc. for Shadow Traffic, was substantially damaged during a forced landing in Closter, New Jersey. The commercial pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the local aerial observation flight which departed from the Essex County Airport, Caldwell, New Jersey, about 1400, and was operated under 14 CFR Part 91.
In the NTSB Accident report, the pilot stated:
"...I planned a flight to do traffic patrol, the flight was planned and conducted at 1500 [feet] MSL at 2100 RPM. According to the performance charts, that would give me a fuel burn of 5.6 gph. To be more conservative and at the advice of the aircraft owner, I normally use 7 GPH fuel burn for this type of flight. There was over 36 gallons of fuel on board because both tanks were over the tabs. This provided me with over 5 hrs. 10 minutes fuel on board. I took off at 2:00 PM. At approximately 6:15 - 6:30 PM I experienced engine trouble. On the way back to the airport, the engine cut off and I couldn't restart it. After switching tanks and attempting a restart the engine started then stopped again. I called Teterboro tower and told them I was doing a precautionary landing at a golf course about 7 miles from Teterboro. At the end of the landing roll the aircraft was damaged. There were no injuries."
The FAA examined the aircraft at the accident site and reported that the left tank was ruptured with no evidence of a fuel spill. The right tank was intact and empty.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1792T
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7125132
- Airframe hours
- 10,178
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Multi Air Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 1996 · 532 hours before
- Departed
- CDW · Caldwell, NJ
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
- 29
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 700 total · 100 in this make and model · 550 as pilot in command · 133 in the last 90 days · 89 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TEB, 7 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.