Piper PA-24-250 N5626P

Summary

On 20 June 2006 at about 20:00 local time, a Piper PA-24-250 registered N5626P was involved in an accident near Wilkesboro, North Carolina, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 June 2006 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Wilkesboro, North Carolina, United States

Coordinates

36.2203, -81.0922

Aircraft

Piper PA-24-250

Registration

N5626P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kissimmee → Wilkesboro

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL06LA094

1 person died.

The pilot's improper fuel consumption calculations and improper in-flight planning/decision which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, a forced landing, and collision with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to witnesses at the Kissimmee Gateway Airport in Kissimmee, Florida, the pilot departed for Sandusky, Ohio, with a planned refueling stop in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. The pilot topped off the fuel tanks before departing Kissimmee at 0830. While en route, the pilot reported to the Jacksonville Center, that he had a vacuum pump malfunction and elected to return to Kissimmee, and landed there at 0945. A mechanic removed and replaced the vacuum pump and the pilot departed again to continue his original trip at 1230. There was no record of the pilot adding fuel after he returned to Kissimmee. The flight proceeded uneventfully at 9,500 feet until 1555, when the pilot made a distress call saying he was out of fuel and descending. According to the FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet (TCDS) for the Piper PA-24-250, the airplane's total fuel capacity is 60 gallons, or 30 gallons in each wing tank with 4 gallons being unusable. According to witnesses the pilot topped the airplane off with fuel prior to his first flight on the day of the accident. The aircraft flew 1 hour and 15 minutes on its first leg, and 3 hours and 25 minutes on its second leg, for a total flight time of 4 hours and 40 minutes. According to the Piper Comanche Owner's Handbook Power Setting Table - Lycoming Model O-540-A, 250 HP Engine, at 75 percent of the engine's rated horse power the fuel consumption would be approximately 14.0 gallons of fuel per hour.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.