Piper PA-38-112 N2426N

Summary

On 21 October 2006 at about 16:50 local time, a Piper PA-38-112 registered N2426N was involved in an accident near Wimberley, Texas, United States. 2 people were 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

21 October 2006 at 16:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Wimberley, Texas, United States

Coordinates

29.9931, -98.0436

Aircraft

Piper PA-38-112

Registration

N2426N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lago Vista → Wimberley

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DFW07LA009

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's inadequate pre-flight planning which resulted in fuel starvation and the subsequent the loss of engine power. A contributing 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 201-hour private pilot departed at about 11:15 on a local cross-country flight with 6 quarts of oil in the engine and 12 gallons of fuel on board. After takeoff, he climbed to 2,500 with the electric boost pump on. Later, during cruise flight the "engine powered back" and the pilot tried to reapply full power to the engine by "checking the fuses and [fuel] primer, as well as, turning on the electric fuel pump and turning to the left fuel tank." The engine did not respond and the pilot elected to execute a forced landing in a field. During a telephone conversation with the NTSB IIC, the pilot stated that the engine "sputtered out" and "then came back, sputtering again" before "quitting completely." During the recovery of the airplane, recovery personnel reported draining 7 gallons of fuel from the right fuel tank and that the left tank was empty. An engine inspection was conducted on November 15, 2006. The engine sustained minimum impact damage during the accident sequence. The engine was rotated by hand; continuity through the engine's valve train and compression on each cylinder was established. The bracket air filter was in place, and appeared in good condition and free of obstructions. The airplane's electrical system was turned on and the electric fuel boost pump was switched on; the electric pump appeared to operate normally. Approximately two tablespoons of fuel was drained from the carburetor. The gascolator was opened and found to be dry and clear, the screen at the top of the gascolator was in-place and free of any debris. The engine was examined and no mechanical anomalies were noted. The airplane's information manual states under Fuel Limitations: "... The unusable fuel for this airplane has been determined as 1.0 gallon in each wing in critical flight attitudes." Additionally, the manual states that fuel consumption during cruise flight would be 6.5 gallons/hour (75%, Best Power setting).

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.