Piper PA-60-602P N72EZ

Summary

On 15 January 1999 at about 23:00 local time, a Piper PA-60-602P registered N72EZ, operated by Herbert Frazier II, was involved in an accident near Lynchburg, Virginia, 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

15 January 1999 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Lynchburg, Virginia, United States

Coordinates

37.3993, -79.1892

Aircraft

Piper PA-60-602P

Registration

N72EZ

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Herbert Frazier II

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lancaster → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

NYC99LA049

1 person was seriously injured.

Fuel exhaustion for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While en route, the pilot noticed oil streaming out of the airplane's left engine cowling and secured the left engine. Approximately 3 miles from his destination, the right engine lost total power and the pilot performed a forced landing to a highway. Examination of the airplane 50 minutes after the accident revealed that both wings were separated outboard of the engines. There was no fuel or odor of fuel present in or around the wing fuel tanks, and approximately 1.5 gallons of fuel was drained from the airplane's fuselage fuel tank, which was not compromised. Examinations of both engines revealed a hole burnt through the number 6 piston of the left engine, and damage to the piston was consistent with detonation. A test run of the airplane's right engine did not reveal any pre-impact discrepancies which would have precluded normal engine operation. The airplane's total usable fuel capacity was 165.5 gallons. The airplane had been flown about 2 1/2 hours since it's last refueling, and the estimated fuel used was about 122.5 gallons. The airplane was equipped with a fuel flow indicating system; which when powered after the accident indicated that 40.5 gallons of fuel remained, and 124.1 gallons had been used since the last re-fueling.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.