Piper PA-25-235 N7469Z

Summary

On 27 July 1996 at about 21:00 local time, a Piper PA-25-235 registered N7469Z was involved in an accident near Moriarity, New Mexico, United States. One person was 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

27 July 1996 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Moriarity, New Mexico, United States

Coordinates

35.7410, -105.8601

Aircraft

Piper PA-25-235

Registration

N7469Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW96LA323

Nobody was injured.

loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's failure to refuel. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain available for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane took off from runway 26 on the fifth glider tow of the day. While climbing through 400 feet AGL, the engine lost power and the pilot executed a forced landing to a pasture. During touchdown, the airplane crossed a dirt road and the left main gear collapsed. The pilot stated that he performed a detailed preflight of the airplane prior to the first tow of the day, and found that the aircraft was serviced with 20 gallons of fuel. He further stated that 20 gallons is normally sufficient for 6 or 7 tows, but on the day of the accident the tows were 'exceptionally long due to the general subsidence of the air mass along with high density altitude.' Examination of the fuel system revealed that both fuel cells were empty.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.