Piper PA-22-160 N9225D

Summary

On 31 December 1999 at about 19:30 local time, a Piper PA-22-160 registered N9225D was involved in an accident near Brighton, Colorado, United States. One person was on board and 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

31 December 1999 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Brighton, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

39.9497, -104.7907

Aircraft

Piper PA-22-160

Registration

N9225D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN00LA035

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's not following preflight procedures, the starvation of fuel to the engine, and the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the preflight, the pilot did not visually look into the fuel tanks. He said that he turned the master switch on, and the fuel gauges indicated approximately one half full. During the takeoff roll, he raised the nose wheel quickly to keep the prop out of the dirt. He said that he performed a steeper then normal climb-out, and then turned left continuing the steep climb. He said the engine stopped, and the metal propeller stopped turning. A pilot/mechanic said that if a steep climbing departure turn is performed by a pilot, and the airplane is only partially fueled, unporting of the fuel lines in the wing tanks is possible, resulting in fuel starvation to the engine. No preimpact engine or airframe anomalies, which might have affected the airplane's performance, were identified. Pilot training manuals caution the pilot to visually look into fuel tanks during preflight and not to rely on cockpit fuel gauges.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.