Piper PA-28-181 N282HP

Summary

On 21 September 2004 at about 11:20 local time, a Piper PA-28-181 registered N282HP was involved in an accident near Haskell, Texas, United States. One person was 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.

Date

21 September 2004 at 11:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Haskell, Texas, United States

Coordinates

33.1914, -99.7178

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-181

Registration

N282HP

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Port Aransas → San Marcos

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

FTW04CA242

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's improper inflight planning which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The 380-hour pilot reported that he filled both wing tanks with fuel prior to his departure. Upon reaching his intended destination, the pilot elected to continue the flight "because it was a beautiful night," and continued to fly on a northerly heading. Later, while in cruise flight, the pilot observed the fuel gauges to indicate near empty so he checked a sectional chart looking for a place to land. Shortly after, and approximately four hours and fifteen minutes into the flight, the engine lost power and the pilot made a forced landing to a field. During the landing roll-out, the airplane collided with several small trees and a barbed-wire fence. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, who responded to the accident site, both fuel tanks were intact and empty. There was no evidence of any fuel spill or leaks at the accidents site.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.