ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 166020
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| Date: | Friday 2 May 2014 |
| Time: | 17:00 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-24-250 Comanche |
| Owner/operator: | Anderson Aviation |
| Registration: | N7308P |
| MSN: | 24-2483 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1961 |
| Engine model: | Lycoming 0-540 SERIES |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Near New Braunfels Regional Airport (KBAZ), New Braunfels, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Houston, TX (KDWH) |
| Bulverde, TX (1T8) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot with three passengers planned to depart and return on a cross-country flight. The pilot stated that the airplane's left fuel tank was filled to an inch below the collar, and the right fuel tank was filled to two inches below the collar. He estimated that the airplane had 40-45 gallons of fuel on board, with a planned en route time of 57 minutes, and about a 10 knot tailwind. Once at a cruise altitude of 7,500 feet, he set the manifold pressure at 21 inches and engine rpm at 2,300 for a fuel burn of 12.3 gallons/hr per the pilot operating handbook. The pilot reported for the return leg he again visually checked the fuel level in each tank. He estimated 12-15 gallons in the left tank and 10 in the right, for a total of 22-25 gallons. The pilot added that fuel burn seemed normal and he decided not to add fuel, he also stated that estimations are not an accurate science and that a fuel stick was not provided to confirm the fuel level. After departing for the return flight, he switched fuel tanks from the left side to the right side. About 15 minutes later, the pilot noticed a reduction in power and switched back to the left side fuel tank. Engine power was restored, and the pilot stated that he did not feel that the fuel had been exhausted from the right side based on his calculations. A few minutes later, the engine lost power and the pilot preformed a forced landing to a construction site. A post-crash examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the airplane's fuselage and left wing during the forced landing. Additionally, the fuel tanks were empty and were not breached in the accident.
Probable Cause: The loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, which resulted from the pilot's inadequate preflight planning and inflight decision making.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=7308P
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N7308P
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 26 May 1990 | N7308P | Private | 0 | Lyons, NY | |
sub |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 06-May-2014 00:18 | Geno | Added |
| 23-May-2014 00:37 | Geno | Updated [Nature, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 29-Nov-2017 14:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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