Piper PA-28-235 N32138

Summary

On 10 August 2002 at about 16:30 local time, a Piper PA-28-235 registered N32138 was involved in an accident near Creswell, Oregon, 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

10 August 2002 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Creswell, Oregon, United States

Coordinates

43.8847, -123.0244

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-235

Registration

N32138

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Eugene → Cottage Grove

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA02LA151

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s improper management of fuel, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that while in a cruise flight configuration the airplane's engine backfired and quit. The pilot reported that he pushed the propeller control and mixture control to the full-forward position, engaged the electric fuel pump and attempted a restart. He reported that the engine successfully started, however, after initiating a climb the engine again lost power and he initiated a forced landing to a nearby field. The pilot reported that while on approach to the field, the airplane collided with a willow tree and the airplane landed short of his intended landing area. Post-accident examination revealed that the fuel selector was found in the left tank position. Further examination indicated that the left fuel tank was empty. The pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was to reposition the airplane from Eugene to Cottage Grove for refueling.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.