- Date
- June 22, 2025, 14:15 local (21:15 UTC)
- Place
- Winchester, ID
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N31998Piper PA-32RT-300T
- Defining event
- Enroute-descent: 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
- 20250622007119A
- Case key
- 200368
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 improper fuel management resulting in fuel starvation, a total loss of engine power, and a subsequent off-airport forced landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s reduced fuel level monitoring due to an inflight distraction.
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 that, as he neared his destination, he became distracted by worsening weather conditions and forgot to switch fuel tanks. As a result, the fuel was depleted from the right fuel tank, and the airplane suffered a total loss of engine power. While attempting to restart the engine, the pilot intended to the move the selector to the left tank, but inadvertently moved the fuel selector from the right tank to the off position instead. Unable to restart the engine, the pilot selected a field to perform a forced landing. Prior to touchdown, the pilot realized the fuel was selected off and moved the fuel selector to the left tank; however, before power could be restored, the airplane impacted terrain, resulting in substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N31998
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32RT-300T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R-7887019
- Built
- 1978
- Airframe hours
- 8,118
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-S1AD, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Lance Group LLC
- Registered owner
- Lance Group LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 17, 2025 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- PVU · Provo, UT
- Destination
- PUW · Pullman, WA
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, ADS-B, Stall warning system
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
- 56
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 16, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 330 total · 277 in this make and model · 272 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 9,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- KLWS, 17 nm away
- METAR
- KLWS 222132Z VRB04KT 10SM FEW070 BKN090 20/06 A3004 RMK AO2 T02000056 $
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 N31998 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.