Aviation Crash Map

Piper PA-24-250 N5887P

9 January 2001 · Pittsview, Alabama, United States · Minor injuries

Summary

On 9 January 2001 at about 20:00 local time, a Piper PA-24-250 registered N5887P was involved in an accident near Pittsview, Alabama, United States. 2 people were 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.

The record

Date
at 20:00
Classification
Accident
Location
Pittsview, Alabama, United States
Coordinates
32.1607, -85.1194
Aircraft
Piper PA-24-250
Registration
N5887P
Category
Airplane
Engines
1
Operator
Not recorded
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Personal
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Lakeland → Auburn
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
MIA01LA058

People

1 person had minor injuries.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
2 0 0 1 1

Probable cause

The failure of the pilot to conduct proper preflight planning, resulting in loss of engine power while in cruise flight due to fuel exhaustion, and the subsequent emergency descent and landing to an open field.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, he had flown the same trip as the accident flight five times previously, except for three differences; (1) on this particular flight, the refuelers did not top off the fuel tanks as requested, (2) following departure, the flight had to return to the departure airport due to inadvertently leaving the right wing fueling door open, and (3) the flight encountered unanticipated strength of head winds. Nine minutes short of destination, the engine stopped operating, and the pilot conducted an emergency landing to a vacant field. The pilot was not injured, a passenger sustained minor injuries, and the aircraft recieved substantial damage. Postcrash examination of the aircraft and it's components revealed no mechanical malfunctions, and the fuel tanks contained no fuel. Postcrash, the pilot stated to the FAA that, "I ran out of gas."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

Other Piper PA-24 accidents

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
6 May 2001 Piper PA-24-260
N8710P
Napa, California, United States - No injuries -
8 Mar 2001 Piper PA-24
N6337P
Saint Helens, Oregon, United States Steven D. Talbot No injuries -
16 Nov 2001 Piper PA-24-250
N8183P
Peachtree City, Georgia, United States - Minor injuries -
12 May 2001 Piper PA-24-250
G-AIRE
Maldon Essex, United Kingdom
no coordinates
- Fatal 2
28 Jun 2001 Piper PA-24-250
N6474P
Uvalde, Texas, United States - No injuries -
31 Mar 2001 Piper PA-24-250
N5841P
Paris, Virginia, United States - Fatal 1

All 2,700 records for this type

Other accidents in this area

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
7 Sep 2001 Bell 47G
N6327D
Berry, Alabama, United States Mt. Hebron Helicopters No injuries -
18 Sep 2001 Cessna 210K
N9455M
Bessemer, Alabama, United States - No injuries -
18 Nov 2001 Robert N Gilmore RANS S-10
N96AU
Oneonta, Alabama, United States - Fatal 1
24 Jul 2001 Boeing STEARMAN PT-17
N56920
Anniston, Alabama, United States - Fatal 2
28 Jul 2001 Cessna 182B
N7202E
Headland, Alabama, United States James M. Crawford No injuries -
22 Nov 2001 Enstrom 280FX
N280XF
Tallassee, Alabama, United States - Fatal 2

All 170,864 records in United States