- Date
- November 14, 1991, 09:20 local (16:20 UTC)
- Place
- Belt, MT
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N6072PPiper PA-24-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 3, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911114051499A
- Case key
- 41609
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
A blocked fuel vent and an inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in fuel starvation.
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 reported that he retarded the throttle setting to extend the gear, but got no response when he tried to increase the power after the gear was extended. He was unable to reach the airstrip and landed in an open field. During the landing, the gear collapsed and the aircraft was damaged. An exam of the fuel system revealed that the vent for the left tank was blocked.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6072P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-1168
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A1A5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Martin A. Dawson
- Registered owner
- Martin A. Dawson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- NONE · Belt, MT
- Airport
- NONE · Dawson Ranch
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 600 total · 525 in this make and model · 600 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GTF, 25 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.