Piper PA-28-180 N9209J

Summary

On 20 August 1996 at about 04:30 local time, a Piper PA-28-180 registered N9209J was involved in an accident near Hartford, Michigan, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 August 1996 at 04:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Hartford, Michigan, United States

Coordinates

42.2010, -86.1607

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-180

Registration

N9209J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

MacKinac Island → Rochester

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

CHI96FA316

1 person died.

inaccurate fuel consumption calculations by the pilot before takeoff, and his improper decision not to land before his airplane ran out of fuel.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot said that he had flown the route several times before, and had planned the flight so that they would 'get back with 8/10th of an hour (of fuel) to spare.' While in cruise flight, at 3,000 feet mean sea level, the airplane's engine lost power. The pilot said that he switched tanks and started looking for a place to land. The passenger said that he saw something, perhaps a field, off of the right side of the airplane. The pilot turned the airplane toward the area. He could not make out anything. When the landing lights illuminated the trees, the pilot said he 'instinctively pulled back and tried to turn left. I hit the trees.' The airplane's elapsed time indicator read 2523.2 hours when the pilot signed out the airplane. It read 2529.9 when examined at the accident site. Examination of the wreckage showed no evidence of fuel in the fuel lines or the carburetor. Twenty ounces of fuel was recovered from the airplane's left wing tank. The pilot survived the accident and was found five days later by search and rescue personnel.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.