- Date
- May 2, 1985, 18:36 local (May 3, 1985, 01:36 UTC)
- Place
- Bandon, OR
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N5543Piper PA-24-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 40149
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 plt was ferrying the acft to Bandon to have the landing gear repaired. The flt was made with the gear secured in the down position. The acft had locking fuel caps & the plt did not visually check the fuel level before taking off; instead, he relied of the fuel gages. During flt, the plt used fuel from the left tank then switch to the right tank which indicated about 1/2 full. A short time later, as the acft was approaching the destination arpt, the eng lost power from fuel exhaustion. Subsequently, the acft was damaged during an emergency landing just short of the rwy.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5543
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-607
- Airframe hours
- 2,430
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A1A5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Dunes Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 4, 1984
- Departed
- 6S2 · Florence, OR
- Destination
- S05
- Airport
- S05 · Bandon State, runway 16, 2,600 × 50 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 51
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 10,354 total · 750 in this make and model · 10,250 as pilot in command · 160 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg