- Date
- June 18, 2008, 07:15 local (13:15 UTC)
- Place
- Vernal, UT
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6235PPiper PA-24-250
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 30, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20080618838149I
- Case key
- 68247
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 failure to verify the airplane's fuel quantity during his preflight, resulting in fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the presence of a vehicle on the road where the pilot executed his forced landing.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
During cruise flight, the airplane experienced a complete loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. The pilot, who did not visually inspect or measure the fuel quantity in each tank prior to takeoff, successfully landed the airplane on a state highway, but the airplane's left wing impacted a vehicle just prior to the airplane coming to a stop.
Factual narrative
During cruise flight, the airplane experienced a complete loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. The pilot, who did not visually inspect or measure the fuel quantity in each tank prior to takeoff, successfully landed the airplane on a state highway, but the airplane's left wing impacted a vehicle just prior to the airplane coming to a stop.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6235P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-1340
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Barton P. Hyde
- Registered owner
- Urie and Madi Lebaron
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 42U · Mountain Green, UT
- Destination
- KVNL · Vernal, UT
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 263 total · 11 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °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 N6235P · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.