Piper PA-28-151 N40954

Summary

On 21 June 1996 at about 01:01 local time, a Piper PA-28-151 registered N40954 was involved in an accident near Abilene, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 June 1996 at 01:01

Classification

Accident

Location

Abilene, Texas, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-151

Registration

N40954

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW96LA266

Nobody was injured.

fuel mismanagement by the pilot, which resulted in fuel starvation; and the pilot's failure to reposition the fuel selector (follow emergency procedure) while attempting to restart the engine. A factor relating to aircraft damage was: concrete debris (rocks) in the emergency landing area.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was flying with the fuel selector in the 'Left Tank' position, when the engine lost power. Attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful, and the airplane was landed at an abandoned airport. During the landing, the left main gear struck a pile of concrete debris, and subsequently, the left wing separated from the fuselage. Inspection of the airplane revealed that the left fuel tank contained less than 1 gallon of fuel, and the right fuel tank contained approximately 16 gallons of fuel. The fuel line from the left tank to the fuselage had been compromised during the accident; however, there was no evidence of spilled fuel. With the fuel selector in the 'Right Tank' position, the engine was started, and it ran normally.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.