- Date
- July 29, 2023, 23:19 local (Jul 30, 2023, 06:19 UTC)
- Place
- Port Angeles, WA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N8675WPiper PA-28-235
- Defining event
- Approach: Fuel starvation
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA Seattle FSDO
- FAA report
- 20230729017229A
- Case key
- 192760
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 monitoring, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
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
The pilot reported being unable to land at the destination airport at night due to the runway lights not being operational. The pilot then diverted to two other nearby airports but was unable to identify either airport. During the process of trying to locate a runway the pilot did not adequately monitor the fuel onboard and all the fuel was consumed from the selected fuel tank, which resulted in a total loss of engine power. The pilot switched fuel tanks, but the engine did not restart. The pilot has no memory beyond that phase of the event. The airplane collided with trees and terrain, sustaining substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8675W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-235
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-10205
- Built
- 1964
- Airframe hours
- 5,420
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540 SERIES, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Brflyers LLC
- Registered owner
- Brflyers LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- BLI · Bellingham, WA
- Destination
- W28 · Sequim, WA
- Airport
- W28 · Sequim Valley Airport
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, Angle of attack indicator, 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
- 66
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 4,777 total · 2,500 in this make and model · 6 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 280° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- KCLM, 13 nm away
- METAR
- KCLM 300253Z AUTO 28011KT 10SM CLR 17/11 A3012 RMK AO2 SLP198 T01720106 58003
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 4, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 14.1 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.
Other investigations on N8675W · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.