Piper PA-28-181 N21491
10 October 1998 · Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 10 October 1998 at about 20:41 local time, a Piper PA-28-181 registered N21491, operated by William J. Winkles, was involved in an accident near Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. 4 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.
The record
- Date
- at 20:41
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States
- Coordinates
- 34.9303, -82.0104
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181
- Registration
- N21491
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- William J. Winkles
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Fort Payne → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ATL99LA008
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to manage the fuel supply which resulted in fuel starvation to the engine.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
According to the pilot, when the flight was approximately 11 miles from of Spartanburg, South Carolina, the airplanes left fuel gauge began to bounce between four and eight gallons. The pilot then switched the fuel selector valve to the right tank. After five to ten seconds, the engine began to sputter and a loss of engine power was noticed. The pilot immediately switched the fuel selector back to the left tank, pushed throttle and mixture back to full forward, and turned the fuel pump on. The pilot elected to land the airplane in a field when engine power could not be regained. The pilot initially chose to land on a road, but with the engine power regained momentarily, he aborted the landing and began a climbing left turn. As the turn was completed, the engine once again lost power and the pilot put the aircraft down in a field. After traveling approximately 130 feet after touch down, the airplane struck a fence and then traveled another 180 feet. There were no injuries to either the pilot or his wife and two children. When the engine was run after the accident it ran smooth and developed power for five minutes.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-28 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Oct 1998 | Piper PA-28-140 | Bad Axe, Michigan, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 29 Aug 1998 | Piper PA-28-235 | Mineola, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Nov 1998 | Piper PA-28-180 | Iowa Falls, Iowa, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Jul 1998 | Piper PA-28-161 | Whitefield, New Hampshire, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Jun 1998 | Piper PA-28-180 | Holly Springs, Mississippi, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 19 Nov 1998 | Piper PA-28-161 | Melfa, Virginia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
All 9,402 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 May 1998 | Grumman American AA-5A | Sumter, South Carolina, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 May 1998 | North American T-28B | Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Jun 1998 | Cessna 152 | Columbia, South Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Oct 1998 | Cessna 188 | Patrick, South Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Sep 1998 | Grumman AA-5B | Winnsboro, South Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Nov 1998 | Piper PA-28-140 | Aiken, South Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |