ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 231322
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Wednesday 11 December 2019 |
| Time: | 08:22 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-34-200T Seneca II |
| Owner/operator: | Flying Ponderosa LLC |
| Registration: | N2822F |
| MSN: | 34-7970260 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1979 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5523 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental LTSIO-360-EB1 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Phoenix Deer Valley Airport (KDVT), Phoenix, AZ -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Sedona Airport, AZ (SDX/KSEZ) |
| Phoenix-Deer Valley Airport, AZ (DVT/KDVT) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot reported that while on final approach to the runway, he began to apply power but realized that both engines had lost power. Despite the pilot’s troubleshooting, which included verifying that both fuel selector valves were in the forward position, he was unable to restore engine power and initiated a forced landing to a nearby road. During the landing sequence, the airplane struck a powerline and unoccupied vehicles prior to coming to rest upright.
The pilot reported that he had placed the right engine fuel selector valve to cross-feed to demonstrate to the passenger how to correct a fuel imbalance; however, he could not recall whether the right fuel selector valve was in the cross-feed position at the time of the accident. He added that the day before the accident, a quantity of fuel was added to the airplane such that the fuel gauges indicated 40 gallons per side. He did not visually verify the quantity of fuel in each tank.
Postaccident examination of the recovered wreckage revealed that the left-wing fuel sender units and fuel gauges indicated fuel levels significantly higher than what was present in the fuel tanks. Although the indication discrepancy of the right-wing fuel sender units was greater for fuel levels in the tank above 30 gallons, the indication was mostly accurate for fuel levels below 30 gallons.
It’s likely that the pilot had inadvertently left the fuel selector valve for the right engine in the cross-feed position, which allowed both engines to draw fuel from the left-wing fuel tank and ultimately lead to fuel starvation. Contributing to the fuel starvation was the erroneous fuel level indications portrayed on the fuel gauges.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s mismanagement of the fuel onboard, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Contributing to the fuel starvation was the erroneous indications on the fuel gauges.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.azfamily.com/news/small-plane-crashes-onto-street-near-deer-valley-airport-in/article_9cb62a08-1c2c-11ea-9310-fb4b491b6a8b.html
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-breaking/2019/12/11/pilot-not-injured-after-small-airplane-crash-lands-near-23rd-ave-deer-valley-road-phoenix/4397564002/#
https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=2822F
NTSB
Location
Media:
VIDEO: Piper Pa-34 Seneca N2822F made a forced landing on a Phoenix street on Wednesday 11th following engine failure, coming to rest in a used car lot. The pilot (a flight instructor) and a passenger escaped with minor injuries: https://t.co/XJYun0PIYd
— Airport Webcams (@AirportWebcams) December 13, 2019
Source: ABC 15 News pic.twitter.com/acozRiJ1Qv
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 11-Dec-2019 17:23 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 11-Dec-2019 21:04 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 11-Dec-2019 23:33 | Geno | Updated [Time, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 14-Dec-2019 19:22 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Embed code] |
| 14-Dec-2019 22:31 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Embed code] |
| 03-Jun-2022 23:22 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation