# NTSB WPR25LA046: Piper PA-28R-200, N55641, Gillette, WY, November 24, 2024 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: November 24, 2024, 16:30 local (23:30 UTC) - Place: Gillette, WY · airport environment - Coordinates: 44.348908, -105.53936 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=44.3489&lon=-105.5394&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Takeoff: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 2 minor - Status: Completed, report September 18, 2026 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Western Pacific Region - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 195550 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR25LA046 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/195550/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=195550 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR25LA046 ## Probable cause A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation resulting from a loose B-nut at the engine-driven fuel-pump inlet. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Misc hardware: hoses and tubes](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071410): Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware · Incorrect use/operation (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-28R-200, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071410/cases.md?model=7102811), [All aircraft, 40 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071410/cases.md) - [Fuel system](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01022800): Aircraft › Aircraft systems · Incorrect use/operation; cases with it: [Piper PA-28R-200, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01022800/cases.md?model=7102811), [All aircraft, 181 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01022800/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Takeoff: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) (defining event); cases with it: [Piper PA-28R-200, 32 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md?model=7102811), [All aircraft, 3,820 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md) ## Analysis Shortly after takeoff, the pilot smelled fuel and the engine began to lose power. The pilot initiated a turn back toward the airport, but the airplane was unable to maintain altitude. The airplane touched down in a field and collided with a fence. The airplane had undergone maintenance a few days before the accident, which included repositioning the fuel line to the engine-driven fuel pump. A postaccident examination revealed that the B-nut securing the fuel line at the pump inlet was loose and could be rotated approximately one-half turn by hand before the fitting came off. Visible fuel staining and spray residue were present in the area of the pump inlet. The manufacturer’s specified torque specification for the aluminum-alloy fitting was 75 to 125 inch-pounds. The loss of engine power was consistent with fuel starvation due to the loose fitting, allowing air ingestion and interrupting normal fuel delivery. ## Factual narrative On November 24, 2024, about 1630 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-28R-200 airplane, N55641, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Gillette, Wyoming. The pilot and passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot stated that earlier in the day he departed from Southwest Oregon Regional Airport (OTH), North Bend, Oregon, for a cross-country flight with two planned fuel stops. After an uneventful first fuel stop, the pilot continued the flight and landed at Gillette-Campbell County Airport (GCC), Gillette, Wyoming, for the second fuel stop. The pilot refueled the airplane at the self-service fuel facility, reported 48 gallons of fuel onboard at takeoff, and departed from runway 34. The airplane lifted off, and the pilot retracted the landing gear around midfield. Immediately thereafter, the pilot smelled fuel, and the engine began to run rough. The pilot initiated a right turn back toward the airport, but the airplane was unable to maintain altitude. The airplane touched down in a field and collided with a fence. During the accident sequence, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the wing and the fuselage. The airplane had undergone maintenance a few days before the accident. The maintenance records indicated that an annual inspection was performed on November 22, 2024, at a total time of 6861.5 hours, which equated to 5.5 flight hours before the accident. The logbook entry indicated that the mechanic repositioned the fuel line to the engine-driven fuel pump for clearance from the nose landing gear. The airplane was equipped with an aluminum fuel system consisting of one fuel tank installed in the inboard leading edge section of each wing. Each tank had a capacity of 25 gallons and incorporated a strainer at the fuel outlet. Fuel flowed from each tank through fuel lines routed to a selector in the cockpit. From the selector, the fuel continued to the gascolator, then to an electric fuel pump, through the engine-driven fuel pump, and to the fuel servo. An FAA inspector conducted a postaccident examination of the airplane. After removing the engine cowling, the inspector observed the flexible fuel line (part number 63901-38) routed to the engine-driven fuel pump. The aluminum alloy B-nut securing the fuel line at the pump inlet was loose and could be rotated approximately one-half turn by hand before the fitting came off (see figure 1). Visible fuel staining and spray residue were present at the pump inlet area. Examination of the fuel line routing revealed marks consistent with prior contact or rubbing near the nose landing gear area. The Lycoming Service Table of Limits specified a torque of 75 to 125 inch-pounds for the fitting. Figure 1. Fuel line and torque specifications as per the Piper maintenance manual ## Aircraft - Registration: [N55641](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N55641), registered now, S/N 28R-7335263, built 1973 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28R-200 - Registry model: [Piper PA-28R-200](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28r-200) (registry code 7102811) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming I0360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-i0360-series) (registry code 41515, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 28R-7335263 - Year built: 1973 - Airframe hours: 6867 - Engines: Lycoming IO-360-C1C 200 hp reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Gizzy LLC - Registered owner: Gizzy LLC - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, November 22, 2024, 5 hours before - Destination: RAP, Rapid City, SD - Flight plan: IFR - Airport: GCC, Northeast Wyoming Rgnl - Equipment: Stall warning system, ADS-B, Angle of attack indicator, Auto-pilot, Onboard weather, Satellite tracking device ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 69; injuries: minor; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: basicmed; last flight review January 18, 2024; seat: left; restraint: 3-point; flight hours: 1,512 total, 1,263 in this make and model, 1,443 as pilot in command, 30 in the last 90 days, 20 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 340° at 4 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 19 °F, dew point 14 °F - Altimeter: 30.03 inHg - Observed at: KGCC, 1 nm away - METAR: KGCC 242253Z AUTO 34004KT 10SM FEW013 SCT065 M07/M10 A3003 RMK AO2 SLP211 T10721100 ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20241124019719A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20241124019719A), Nov 24, 2024: Piper PA-28R-200, Gillette, WY, Substantial damage. Fuel line to engine driven fuelpump was rerouted and the fuel line fitting was only hand tightened. The fitting vibrated loose from the fuel pump causing loss… ## Docket (4 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 18, 2026, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=195550. 6.1 MB in all. - Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 8 pages, 5.0 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19750557&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Z-%206120_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Record of conversation with examination pictures (item 2, PDF, 5 pages, 652 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19750424&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=25LA046-%20Record%20of%20Conversations%20Piper%20Gillete_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Release of aircraft wreckage, NTSB form 6120.15 (item 3, PDF, 1 page, 290 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19749446&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Completed%20Wreckage%20Release%20N55641_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Maintenance record excerpts (item 4, PDF, 1 page, 108 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=20891111&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Z-%20Attachment%2003%20-%20Maintenance%20Excerpts-Rel.pdf From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.