- Date
- November 17, 2021, 10:44 local (17:44 UTC)
- Place
- Farmington, NM
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N9467JPiper PA-28-180
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Fuel starvation
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20211117019639A
- Case key
- 104274
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 inadequate fuel management which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
Findings · 2
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
The pilot reported that, he calculated 30 gallons of fuel to complete the accident flight and then departed the airport with 36 gallons of fuel onboard. A few minutes later he returned to the departure airport after he noticed that the door was not latched properly. The subsequent departure and flight were uneventful until the pilot was approaching his destination and had been cleared to land. At this time, he observed the fuel tanks were between 0 and 10 gallons on each side. He then selected the left fuel tank as it appeared to have more fuel, but within one minute the engine lost power. The pilot then notified air traffic control that he would not make the runway and landed in a dirt lot, which resulted in substantial damage to the right aileron and wings. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. He stated that the operator traveled to the site and observed about 4 gallons in the right fuel tank and no fuel in the left tank. The pilot further reported that the accident was the result of fuel starvation, inaccuracy of the fuel gauges and improper fuel planning.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9467J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-3581
- Built
- 1966
- Airframe hours
- 6,258.6
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A3A, 180 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Red Rock Flying School LLC
- Registered owner
- Red Rock Flying School LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 28, 2021 · 81 hours before
- Departed
- FFZ · Mesa, AZ
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- FMN · Four Corners Rgnl, runway 07/25, 6,704 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, ADS-B
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
- 23
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 25, 2021
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 151.1 total · 135.6 in this make and model · 92.1 as pilot in command · 34 in the last 90 days · 10.1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.15 inHg
- Observed at
- KFMN
- METAR
- KFMN 171753Z AUTO 27010KT 10SM CLR 09/M08 A3015 RMK AO2 SLP207 T00941083 10094 21028 50009 $
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 9, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.5 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.