Piper PA-32-300 N8619N

Summary

On 14 October 1998 at about 06:00 local time, a Piper PA-32-300 registered N8619N, operated by Castle Aviation, was involved in an accident near Dunkirk, New York, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 October 1998 at 06:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Dunkirk, New York, United States

Nearest airport

Dunkirk Airport (DKK)

Coordinates

42.4700, -79.3307

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-300

Registration

N8619N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Castle Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Buffalo → Ravenna

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

IAD99LA010

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's inadequate fuel management that resulted in fuel starvation. Factors in the accident were the improperly timed magneto and an engine driven fuel pump leak.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that while on a night flight under instrument flight rules, in visual conditions, he noticed a change in engine performance. After switching fuel tanks and adjusting the power and propeller levers, he turned the airplane toward an airport beacon and continued under partial power. While on final approach, the airplane lost all engine power and a forced landing was performed 1/4 mile short of the landing runway. Three of four fuel tanks were ruptured, but 8 gallons were contained in an auxiliary tip tank. Fuel was not found at the injector, engine driven fuel pump, electric driven fuel pump, or the outlet of the fuel selector valve. The engine and airframe fuel supply components were tested and found to be operational. The spark plugs were removed and the electrodes were white with no trace of gray. The engine started and ran in a test cell after the accident. However, a detailed examination revealed that the engine driven fuel pump leaked and the left magneto was not configured to factory specifications.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.