- Date
- November 14, 1994, 10:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Casper, WY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3323PPiper PA-23-160
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 16, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19941114048489A
- Case key
- 42087
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 exhaustion due to the pilot's failure to refuel.
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 flight was planned for 4+20 with 5 hrs fuel on board. While in cruise flight after 4+15 flight time both engines lost power. The pilot initiated a forced landing to an open area where, during the gear up landing, the airplane collided with rough terrain. Post crash inspection of the airplane revealed only a small amount of fuel remaining in the fuel tanks. The airplane is not equipped with fuel flow gauges, and the pilot stated that the fuel gauges were not accurate when the tanks were less than 1/2 full.
Factual narrative
On November 14, 1994, at 1015 mountain standard time, a Piper PA- 23-160, N3323P, collided with the terrain five miles north of Casper, Wyoming, after both engines experienced a loss of power in cruise flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged and the commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight had departed from Fargo, North Dakota, on November 14, 1994, at 0700 central standard time, for the personal flight.
The pilot reported that the fuel tanks were topped off on November 11, 1994. On the day of the accident the pilot stated that he visually checked the fuel tanks during the pre-flight inspection and noted that the tanks were full. Total fuel capacity is 108 gallons.
The pilot reported that the planned flight time to Casper was to be four hours and twenty minutes. The endurance for the airplane was planned at five hours. The pilot had planned a fueling stop at Casper, then to continue on to Ogden, Utah. Approximately 15 miles north of Casper, the pilot stated that the left fuel warning light illuminated. The pilot switched to the other fuel tank and stated that the right fuel warning light illuminated and the engine sputtered. The pilot then switched fuel tanks again and the right engine resumed full power. The left engine then lost power, followed by the right engine. The pilot notified Casper tower that he would not make it to the runway and initiated a forced landing to an open area. During the gear up landing, the airplane collided with the rough terrain.
During the recovery of the airplane, a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector from the Casper, Wyoming, Flight Standards Field Office, reported only a small amount of fuel remained in the fuel tanks.
The airplane is not equipped with a fuel flow meter, and the pilot stated that the fuel gauges are not accurate below the one- half mark.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3323P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-160
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 23-1274
- Airframe hours
- 5,000
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B3B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- US Aviation, doing business as Hill Aero Flight Training Club
- Registered owner
- Stevens, Thomas V.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 1, 1994 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- FAR · Fargo, ND
- Destination
- CPR · WY
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
- 26
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 850 total · 37 in this make and model · 800 as pilot in command · 110 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 6 knots, gusting 12
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Temperature
- 30 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.