Piper PA-24-260C N9365P

Summary

On 5 August 2010 at about 21:25 local time, a Piper PA-24-260C registered N9365P was involved in an accident near Ridgecrest, California, 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

5 August 2010 at 21:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Ridgecrest, California, United States

Coordinates

35.2447, -117.3661

Aircraft

Piper PA-24-260C

Registration

N9365P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Novato → Needles

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR10FA385

1 person had minor injuries.

A total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation, as a result of the pilot's improper fuel management during cruise flight.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he departed for the destination airport with 88 gallons of usable fuel onboard the airplane. The airplane was equipped with two main and two auxiliary fuel tanks. Only one tank at a time could be selected to provide fuel to the engine. According to the manufacturer's Pilot Operating Handbook (POH), for the flight conditions, the airplane had an endurance of about 6.7 hours, and a fuel consumption rate of about 13 gallons per hour. Contrary to the POH procedures, which specified that fuel in the auxiliary tanks should be utilized early in the flight, the pilot reported that he delayed the use of the fuel in the auxiliary tanks until about 4 hours after departure. Up to this point, he had been switching between the left and right main tanks. The pilot eventually switched to the left and then the right auxiliary tanks, but due to a suspected malfunctioning fuel quantity gauge, he switched the selector back to the right main tank. While the pilot was trying to fix the fuel quantity gauge, the engine started to miss and cough and eventually lost power. The airplane entered a descent as the pilot made several unsuccessful attempts to start the engine. The pilot conducted a forced landing on desert terrain with the landing gear retracted, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. Postaccident examination revealed that the main fuel tanks contained minimal fuel, while the auxiliary fuel tanks contained sufficient fuel for continued flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.