Piper PA-18-150 N8994Y

Summary

On 7 March 1988 at about 23:05 local time, a Piper PA-18-150 registered N8994Y, operated by SC State Commission Forestry, was involved in an accident near Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

7 March 1988 at 23:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Piper PA-18-150

Registration

N8994Y

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

SC State Commission Forestry

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL88LA114

Nobody was injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE ENGINE LOST PWR AS THE AIRPLANE WAS RETURNING FROM A FIRE-PATROL FLT. THE PLT MADE A FORCED LDG IN A FIELD WHERE THE AIRPLANE RAN INTO SOFT DIRT AND NOSED OVER. POST-CRASH EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF ANY FUEL RAMAINING IN THE FUEL SYSTEM. THE EXAM ALSO REVEALED THAT THE LEFT TANK FUEL CAP GASKET WAS MISSING AND THAT A LARGE FUEL STAIN EXISTED IN THE AREA OF THE LEFT TANK FILLER OPENING. THE PLT RPTD THAT HE HAD DEPARTED W/ FULL TANKS WHICH HE HAD VISUALLY CONFIRMED. HE INITIALLY OPERATED ON THE LT TANK FOR 1.5 HRS THEN SWITCHED TO THE RT TANK FOR 2.1 HRS. WHEN THE RT TANK RAN DRY HE SWITCHED BACK TO THE LT TANK BUT THE ENGINE DID NOT REGAIN PWR. THE PLT NOTED THAT AFTER PRIOR PATROL FLTS LASTING ABOUT 3.5 HRS, THE ACFT WOULD HAVE 5-6 GALLONS OF FUEL REMAINING. HE NORMALLY ESTIMATED FUEL REMAINING BY THE KNOWN AVG CONSUMPTION RATE OF THE ENGINE AND ELAPSED TIME. HE DID NOT GO BY FUEL GAUGE INDICATIONS BECAUSE THE GAUGES WEREN'T 'THAT ACCURATE'.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.