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| Date: | Sunday 12 May 1985 |
| Time: | 15:50 LT |
| Type: |  Piper PA-22-150 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N7315D |
| MSN: | 22-5103 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1957 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 1558 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-320 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Fort Pierce, FL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | West Palm Beach, FL |
| Vero Beach, FL (KVRB) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
PRIOR TO A FLT FROM THE BAHAMAS TO WEST PALM BEACH, FL, THE PLT NOTED A PROBLEM WITH THE QUICK-DRAIN FOR THE LEFT FUEL TANK. AFTER LANDING IN WEST PALM BEACH, FUEL WAS ONLY ADDED TO THE RIGHT TANK SINCE THE PLT ANTICIPATED REPLACING THE LEFT QUICK-DRAIN. ON THE NEXT FLT TO VERO BEACH, FL, HE WAS USING FUEL FROM THE LEFT TANK, WHEN THE ENG 'HESITATED.'AT THAT TIME, THE LEFT FUEL GAGE WAS INDICATING UNDER 1/4 FULL. THE PLT CHECKED THE MAGS & 'FOUND THE LEFT MAG WAS ROUGH.' WHILE COMPARING THE MAGS & CALLING VERO BEACH TOWER, THE ENG POWER 'FELL TO IDLE' WHEN THE ACFT WAS AT AN ALT OF ABOUT 1000 FT. THINKING HE HAD A MAG PROBLEM, THE PLT CONTINUED SWITCHING MAGS & DELAYED SWITCHING THE FUEL SELECTOR. SUBSEQUENTLY, HE MADE A FORCED LANDING ON A SANDY AREA WHERE THE RIGHT GEAR FOLDED & THE RIGHT ELEVATOR WAS DAMAGE. ONLY A FEW OUNCES OF FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE LEFT TANK. A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF FUEL WAS STILL REMAINING IN THE RIGHT FUEL TANK. ALSO, WATER & DIRT WERE FOUND IN THE RIGHT TANK & ABOUT 1 OUNCE OF WATER WAS IN THE FUEL LINES.
Probable Cause:
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB MIA85FLD02
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 4 July 1991 | N7315D | Skyhaven Airport, Inc. | 0 | Tunkhannock, PA | |
sub |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 30-Mar-2024 09:25 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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