Fuel exhaustion Accident Piper PA-28-181 N9578C,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 44804
 
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Date:Wednesday 23 June 2004
Time:11:35
Type:Silhouette image of generic P28A model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Piper PA-28-181
Owner/operator:Pompano Senior Squadron Flying Club
Registration: N9578C
MSN: 28-7890424
Year of manufacture:1978
Total airframe hrs:3605 hours
Fatalities:Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:Fort Lauderdale, Florida -   United States of America
Phase: Take off
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Fort Lauderdale-Executive Airport, FL (FXE/KFXE)
Destination airport:Pimaga Airport (PMP)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities
Narrative:
During climb-out, at approximately 500 feet, the pilot radioed a 'MAYDAY MAYDAY" distress call. According to witnesses on the ground as the airplane climbed out the engine began to make a "sputtering noise" and then stopped. The airplane was observed in a left turn, by the tower controller, and descended out of sight. The pilot made no other radio transmissions. The airplane collided nose down into the roof of a commercial building about 1/2 mile from the departure end of runway 13. All flight control surfaces, and components were accounted for and identified at the wreckage site. Prior to the accident flight on June 23, 2004 the airplane was refueled with 16 gallons of 100LL. The fuel tank had compression damage to the leading edge and the tank was breached. There was no hydraulic type damage noted to the tank. Disassembly of the carburetor found no fuel in the bowl or in the acceleration pump. No fuel was noted in the engine driven fuel pump and only a trace amount was found in the fuel lines. The gascolator was crush damaged and the bowl was separated. The fuel boost pump was teardown and no blockage of the filter was noted. A trace amount of fuel was found inside the pump. No fuel was found at the accident site.
Probable Cause: The pilot's inadequate preflight planning which resulted in the loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, and the pilot's failure to maintain flying speed which resulted in an inadvertent stall, and the subsequent collision with a building.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: ATL04FA139
Status: Investigation completed
Duration:
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20040630X00888&key=1

History of this aircraft

Other occurrences involving this aircraft
26 January 2000 N9578C Pompano Senior Squadron Flying 0 OCEAN REEF CLUB, Florida sub

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
28-Oct-2008 00:45 ASN archive Added
21-Dec-2016 19:24 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency]
07-Dec-2017 18:06 ASN Update Bot Updated [Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
20-Nov-2018 19:48 Nepa Updated [Operator, Operator]
06-May-2023 08:07 Nepa Updated [[Operator, Operator]]

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