Piper PA28 N8886E

Summary

On 13 October 2009 at about 13:52 local time, a Piper PA28 registered N8886E, operated by John T. Bouley, was involved in an accident near Meadville, Pennsylvania, 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

13 October 2009 at 13:52

Classification

Accident

Location

Meadville, Pennsylvania, United States

Coordinates

41.6336, -80.1556

Aircraft

Piper PA28

Registration

N8886E

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

John T. Bouley

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ellington → Meadville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA10CA016

1 person had minor injuries.

A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's inadequate fuel planning.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot, who was operating on an instrument-flight-rules flight plan, filed for an altitude of 6,000 feet and a flight time of 5 hours. He stated that the airplane contained 50 gallons of fuel, of which 48 gallons were usable, "enough for 6 hours of endurance." The pilot reported that, approximately 10 nautical miles from his destination, he noticed that the left fuel gauge indicated "empty" and the right fuel gauge was "just above empty." He estimated that he had "about 6 gallons." Shortly after, at 3,200 feet, the engine lost power. When he regained visual contact with the ground at approximately 2,500 feet, the pilot noticed a baseball field to his right "less than a half mile away" and attempted to turn towards it. During the turn, the airplane "lost altitude quickly and the right wing struck a tree." The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The engine, engine mounts, and firewall were pushed aft into the instrument panel, and the upper fuselage was buckled. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who responded to the accident scene reported that the fuel tanks and fuel lines were dry, and the propeller exhibited no signs of rotation on impact. The engine could be rotated by hand, and compression was obtained on all cylinders. The pilot and the FAA inspector both reported no mechanical malfunctions. According to information obtained from the airplane's FAA-approved flight manual, the engine consumed approximately 8.4 gallons per hour at 75% power when leaned to the manufacturer's specifications. The pilot stated that he was aware of strong headwinds forecasted for his route of flight, but they were about what he had expected and planned for during his preflight calculations.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.