Piper PA-28-161 N2111P

Summary

On 7 November 2005 at about 09:30 local time, a Piper PA-28-161 registered N2111P, operated by Skyschool, Inc., was involved in an accident near Payson, Arizona, 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.

Date

7 November 2005 at 09:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Payson, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Payson Airport (KPAN)

Coordinates

34.2567, -111.3392

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-161

Registration

N2111P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Skyschool, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Odessa → Prescott

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX06CA026

Nobody was injured.

a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, which was caused by the pilot's inadequate preflight and in-flight planning, his inadequate fuel consumption calculations, and his failure to divert to an alternate airport before the fuel situation became critical.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane impacted trees and terrain after experiencing a total loss of engine power during a night cross-country flight. The pilot notified air traffic control that he believed he had run his fuel tanks dry and was going to make a precautionary landing at a nearby airport. About 12 miles north of the diversion airport the airplane began to lose power, and every attempt to regain power failed. After the total loss of engine power the pilot maneuvered for an emergency landing but was unable to reach the airfield. Information obtained during the investigation revealed the pilot had flown non-stop from Prescott, Arizona, to Odessa, Texas, in 5.3 hours and used 45.3 gallons, for an approximate fuel burn rate of 8.56 gallons per hour (gph). The accident occurred on the return leg of the flight, also planned by the pilot as a nonstop from Odessa to Prescott. According to flight records and the Hobbs hour meter, the accident flight lasted 5.7 hours. With the 8.56 gph fuel burn, the pilot flew the airplane beyond its usable fuel level of 48 gallons. The pilot said there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.