ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 204339
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| Date: | Saturday 13 January 2018 |
| Time: | 11:30 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-28-236 Dakota |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N4345K |
| MSN: | 28-8411012 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1984 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2128 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-540-J3A5D |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge, Johnston County, OK -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Hot Springs, AR (HOT) |
| Ardmore, OK (1F0) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The private pilot departed on a cross-country flight; he reported that 35 to 40 gallons of fuel were in the airplane’s fuel tanks for a flight that he thought would require 20 gallons of fuel. As the airplane was nearing the destination, the pilot was concerned about the fuel level in the left tank because the fuel gauge indicated that the tank was between one-quarter full and empty and no fuel remained in the right tank, which the pilot had intentionally run dry. The pilot elected to divert to ensure that the airplane would have adequate fuel to complete the flight to the destination. Upon landing at the diversion airpark, the pilot learned that the airpark had no fuel. The pilot subsequently took off from the airpark, and the airplane reached an altitude of about 1,500 ft above ground level when the engine “sputtered.” The pilot attempted to return to the airpark, but the airplane could not clear the trees in the area. The pilot attempted a forced landing, but the airplane impacted the trees and subsequently impacted terrain. The airplane was in an inverted position at the time of impact.
The pilot reported that the left tank “apparently goes empty somewhere prior to the E [empty] on the fuel gauge.” However, the pilot did not mention whether he visually checked the amount of fuel before leaving the diversion airpark. Thus, the pilot likely departed without sufficient fuel on board to complete the flight to another diversion airpark. Further, the fuel amount was lower than the pilot expected during the flight, which was consistent with poor preflight fuel planning and in-flight fuel monitoring.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s inadequate preflight fuel planning and in-flight fuel monitoring and his decision to take off with an unverified amount of fuel, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a subsequent impact with trees during an attempted forced landing.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N4345K
Location
Images:
Media:
Piper plane crashes in Tishomingo, OK, USA https://t.co/wc2Ef9vQWC pic.twitter.com/hoMIiztmpA
— Planes Of Legend (@PlanesOfLegend) 14 janvier 2018
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 14-Jan-2018 01:27 | Geno | Added |
| 14-Jan-2018 13:21 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Embed code] |
| 14-Jan-2018 13:50 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Embed code, Photo, ] |
| 14-Jan-2018 17:07 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source] |
| 19-Jan-2018 01:40 | Geno | Updated [Time, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 28-Nov-2018 14:46 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
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