Piper PA-31-310 N35WT
22 May 2001 · Uniontown, Ohio, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 22 May 2001 at about 12:06 local time, a Piper PA-31-310 registered N35WT was involved in an accident near Uniontown, Ohio, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 12:06
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Uniontown, Ohio, United States
- Nearest airport
- Akron/Canton Regional Airport (CAK)
- Coordinates
- 40.9707, -81.4007
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-310
- Registration
- N35WT
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Columbus → Akron
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- IAD01LA059
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
Fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's failure to perform fuel calculations. A factor was the inboard fuel tank probes not being within the manufacturer's resistance limits, which resulted in inaccurate fuel gauges.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The commercial pilot departed on the last segment of his 5-leg trip with an estimated 44-48 gallons of fuel in the inboard tanks, and no fuel in the outboard tanks. While on final approach, both engines stopped producing power and the pilot performed a forced landing 4 1/2 miles short of the runway. Examination of the fuel tanks revealed that the left and right inboard tanks were empty. With the battery off, the left fuel gauge read approximately 1/16 full and the right fuel gauge read approximately 1/2 full. The two left and one right inboard fuel probes were checked for variable resistance using a calibrated digital VOM. None of the probes that were tested were within the manufacturer's published resistance limits. The operator stated that the normal procedure for checking fuel quantity was by referencing the fuel gauges, and that the airplane would burn an average of 40 gallons per hour. Fuel burn for the five trip legs was about 41 gallons per hour. The pilot reported a total of 1,706 flight hours, of which 365.6 hours were in make and model. The pilot reported no additional mechanical deficiencies.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-31 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 May 2001 | Piper PA 31-350 | Nahant, Massachusetts, United States | Dana Lake | Minor injuries | - |
| 24 Sep 2001 | Piper PA-31-350 | Pagosa Springs, Colorado, United States | Key Lime Air | Fatal | 2 |
| 29 Jul 2001 | Piper PA-31-350 | Grand Junction, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Apr 2001 | Piper PA-31-350 | Newark, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Sep 2001 | Piper PA-31-350 | Bern Township, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 22 Mar 2001 | Piper PA-31-350 | Orleans, France | Tulip Air B.V. | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Aug 2001 | Beechcraft BE-200 | Piqua, Ohio, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Nov 2001 | Piper PA-28-180 | Mansfield, Ohio, United States | Monroe Aviation | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Jul 2001 | Cessna 172 | Dayton, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 Jul 2001 | Robinson R-22 | Columbus, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 2001 | Cessna 152 | Gallipolis, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Aug 2001 | Cessna 152 | Newark, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |