Piper PA-28-161 N9239B
16 May 1996 · Tallahassee, Florida, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 16 May 1996 at about 14:09 local time, a Piper PA-28-161 registered N9239B was involved in an accident near Tallahassee, Florida, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 14:09
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Tallahassee, Florida, United States
- Nearest airport
- Tallahassee Regional (TLH)
- Coordinates
- 30.3895, -84.5108
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161
- Registration
- N9239B
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Vero Beach → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- MIA96LA141
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
the pilot's mismanagement of fuel, by failing to reposition the fuel selector to the left tank after fuel was used from the right tank, which resulted in fuel starvation, loss of engine power, and a forced landing. A factor relating to the accident was: the lack of suitable terrain for an emergency landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
After about 2 hours of flight time, the pilot was descending from about 1500' to about 1200' to remain in VFR conditions, when the engine lost power. Attempts to restore engine power were unsuccessful, and he was forced to land in a wooded area, where the airplane was damaged. The pilot reported that he had positioned the fuel selector to the right tank before flight and had not repositioned it until the loss of power occurred. Examination of the airplane revealed that the left wing fuel tank was nearly full and that the right wing fuel tank contained less than 6 ounces of fuel. Also, the fuel line to the carburetor was dry, and the gascolator was drained and found to contain only 10 cc's of fuel. No fuel leakage was noted from the right wing fuel tank.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-28 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Apr 1996 | Piper PA-28 | Wasilla, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 8 Aug 1996 | Piper PA-28-181 | Muncie, Indiana, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 12 Oct 1996 | Piper PA-28-140 | Kumamoto, Japan | McAs Flying Club | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Oct 1996 | Piper PA-28-140 | Plymouth, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 Oct 1996 | Piper PA-28-180 | Ely, Nevada, United States | Michael E. Scholl | Serious injuries | - |
| 20 Aug 1996 | Piper PA-28-180 | Hartford, Michigan, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
All 9,402 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Mar 1996 | Cessna 150M | Ormond Beach, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Mar 1996 | Cessna 152 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Mar 1996 | Robinson R-22-BETA | Bunnell, Florida, United States | International Helicopter Acad. | No injuries | - |
| 24 Mar 1996 | Cessna 150F | Ocala, Florida, United States | TOM McGhee Aircraft | No injuries | - |
| 22 Mar 1996 | Cessna 172N | New Smyrna Bch, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Mar 1996 | Enstrom F-28C | Defuniak Spring, Florida, United States | Robert D. Duda | Minor injuries | - |