Piper PA-32-260 N222SH

Summary

On 11 August 2002 at about 02:40 local time, a Piper PA-32-260 registered N222SH was involved in an accident near Victor, Colorado, United States. 3 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 August 2002 at 02:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Victor, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

38.7311, -105.1189

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-260

Registration

N222SH

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Laughlin → Colorado Sprngs

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN02LA090

1 person was seriously injured.

the pilot's failure to refuel, resulting in fuel exhaustion and a subsequent loss of engine power. Contributing factors were the pilot's use of inappropriate medication, and the unsuitable terrain on which to make a forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was fueled to capacity (25 gallons each, left and right main tanks; 17 gallons each, left and right auxiliary tanks; total, 84 gallons) prior to departure. The airplane was airborne for 4 hours, 10 minutes, when it "began to feel heavy and mushy." Two passengers were repositioned, but the airplane "continued to feel heavy with loss of altitude and stall light flashing." The engine began to "miss," and "appeared not to have power." The pilot flew towards a low spot in a bowl, hoping to get to a lower elevation. He made a forced landing in an area "that looked flat and soft." Witnesses saw the airplane bounce three times and the left wing break off as it spun to a stop. Numerous empty beer cans (about two 12 packs) were found in the airplane. The pilot said his male passenger had consumed the beer. The fuel selector was found positioned on the right main tank. The salvage company said the right tanks appeared to be empty and there was "very little" fuel in the separated left wing tanks. They drained 2 gallons of fuel from the right main tank and about 3 gallons from the right auxiliary tank. No fuel was recovered from the separated left wing's tanks. The carburetor bowl was opened and found to be dry. In addition, no fuel was found in the line between the engine-driven fuel pump and the carburetor. The magnetos were tested and functioned normally. Both the engine-driven fuel pump and auxiliary boost pumps were dry but tested satisfactorily. The pilot's toxicological report was negative for ethanol, but positive for benzodiazepines. The pilot told the hospital physician that he was taking Paxil for treatment of depression. According to an FAA Civil Aeromedical Institute (CAMI) toxicologist, Paxil is a benzodiazepine and is contraindicated for flying.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.