Piper PA-18-150 N7615Z
1 September 2003 · Midland, Virginia, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 1 September 2003 at about 22:30 local time, a Piper PA-18-150 registered N7615Z was involved in an accident near Midland, Virginia, United States. One person was on board and nobody was 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 22:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Midland, Virginia, United States
- Nearest airport
- Horse Feathers Airport (53VA)
- Coordinates
- 38.6339, -77.7572
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150
- Registration
- N7615Z
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Midland → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC03LA187
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
Loss of engine power due to unknown circumstances.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot departed with about 15 gallons of fuel in the airplane, and flew for about 1 hour 15 minutes, when the engine lost power, about 1 mile from the airport. As the pilot prepared for a forced landing to a field, he noted the left fuel gauge read 1/8-full, and the right fuel gauge, indicated just less than 1/4-full. During the landing rollout, the pilot applied right rudder to stay aligned with the field, and the airplane nosed-over. An on-scene examination of the airplane revealed no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions. During the recovery of the airplane, it was noted that "little" fuel was left in the fuel tanks; however, the fuel vent system consisted of drilled holes in the fuel tank caps, and the surrounding vegetation in the area of the fuel tanks appeared discolored and had an odor consistent with aviation fuel. The engine was test run on the airframe, using its own fuel system. It started and ran through various power settings for several minutes, with no abnormalities noted. According to the Piper PA-18 Owner's Handbook, the fuel consumption for the airplane was 9 gallons per hour.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-18 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 May 2003 | Piper PA-18-150 | Ashland, Maine, United States | John McPhee | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Jul 2003 | Piper PA-18 | Talkeetna, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jul 2003 | Piper PA-18-150 | Ely, Nevada, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jun 2003 | Piper PA-18 | Silver City, Montana, United States | David M. Hoon | No injuries | - |
| 21 Mar 2003 | Piper PA-18-135 | Chandler, Arizona, United States | Chandler Air Service, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 4 May 2003 | Piper PA-18-150 | Ava, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
All 2,950 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Nov 2003 | Northam RAF 2000 | Nelsonia, Virginia, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 18 Jan 2003 | Cessna 172 | Chesapeake, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Mar 2003 | Mooney M20R | Leesburg, Virginia, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 9 May 2003 | Cessna 140 | Suffolk, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 May 2003 | Boeing B767-300 | New Market, Virginia, United States | United Airlines | Serious injuries | - |
| 7 Oct 2003 | Pfeifler EDGE-540 | Warrenton, Virginia, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |