Piper PA-32R-300 N385WR

Summary

On 8 May 2008 at about 20:30 local time, a Piper PA-32R-300 registered N385WR, operated by T-N-J Trucking Inc, was involved in an accident near Emporia, Kansas, 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

8 May 2008 at 20:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Emporia, Kansas, United States

Coordinates

38.4100, -96.1897

Aircraft

Piper PA-32R-300

Registration

N385WR

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

T-N-J Trucking Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tradewinds → Emporia

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DFW08LA133

1 person had minor injuries.

A total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of a blocked fuel outlet caused by the peeling off of a previously approved fuel tank sealer.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was on a 330-nautical-mile cross-country flight in a single-engine airplane. About 30 miles from his destination, and at an altitude of 3,500 feet, he turned on the fuel boost pump and switched fuel tanks. At about 10 miles from his destination airport the "plane got quiet." The pilot cycled the magnetos and fuel tank selector "once or twice." Unable to restart the engine, the pilot then conducted a forced landing in a field. An on-site inspection noted that fuel was present in the airplane's fuel tanks. A follow-on inspection of the airplane found no mechanical or electrical problem with the engine. However, the left inboard fuel tank appeared to have large sections of "sloshing" compound peeling from the tanks walls, blocking the fuel tank outlet. A review of maintenance records revealed that the left inboard fuel tank was treated with (sloshing compound) fuel tank sealer in February 1996. At the time of the application, the procedure was acceptable per the airplane's manufacturers service manual. The review also noted that the manufacturer's service bulletin, dated May 16, 2005, no longer recognized the compound as an approved sealer, and that the sloshing procedure should be removed from all service manuals. Additionally, the service bulletin did not contain additional instructions with regards to tanks that had been previously repaired using the sealer.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.