Piper PA-34-200 N15866

Summary

On 23 August 1995 at about 17:00 local time, a Piper PA-34-200 registered N15866 was involved in an accident near Double Springs, Alabama, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 August 1995 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Double Springs, Alabama, United States

Nearest airport

Double Springs Winston Co (3M2)

Coordinates

34.1397, -87.4005

Aircraft

Piper PA-34-200

Registration

N15866

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Goldsby → Gadsden

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL95FA162

2 people died.

failure of the pilot to follow emergency procedures for loss of engine power, and his failure to maintain control of the airplane. Factors relating to the accident were: the pilot's inadequate preflight planning/preparation and improper fuel consumption calculations, which resulted in fuel exhaustion, and his lack of recent multiengine flight experience.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Witnesses observed the airplane on a downwind leg for landing. They believed that the airplane then turned right onto a base leg. During the turn, one engine quit, the airplane rolled, and the nose dropped to a near vertical attitude. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the airplane impacted in the same attitude. There was no evidence of fuel having been spilled from the left wing tanks. An examination of the right engine indicated there was rotation of the right propeller at impact; also, there was minimal fuel spillage from the right wing tanks. The estimated time en route for the planned flight was 5.4 hours. Investigation revealed that the flight's duration was 4.5 hours, which equated to the calculated fuel endurance of the airplane with its 93 gallon fuel capacity. According to the pilot's logbook, his previous flight in a multiengined airplane was on 8/26/94. The pilot did not report any mechanical difficulty with the aircraft during the flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.