Piper PA-44-180 N331GP

Summary

On 21 April 2010 at about 01:00 local time, a Piper PA-44-180 registered N331GP, operated by Leading Edge Aviation, was involved in an accident near Tooele, Utah, United States. 2 people were 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

21 April 2010 at 01:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Tooele, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

Tooele Valley (KTVY)

Coordinates

40.5953, -112.3389

Aircraft

Piper PA-44-180

Registration

N331GP

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Leading Edge Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Salt Lake City → Salt Lake City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR10LA210

1 person had minor injuries.

The complete loss of power in one engine due to fuel starvation as a result of the pilot's failure to reposition the cross-feed valve prior to takeoff and the flight instructor's failure to monitor the pilot's actions. Contributing to the accident was the instructor pilot's failure to monitor the fuel level during the flight and his decision to turn left (into the failed engine) after the loss of power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Prior to starting the before-takeoff checklist in preparation for the instructional flight in the twin-engine airplane, the private pilot-rated student performed the required engine/fuel tank cross-feed check. At the completion of that check, she inadvertently forgot to reposition the right engine fuel selector to the "ON" position, but instead left it in "Cross-Feed." Therefore, as the flight progressed with both engines using fuel from the left tank, it ultimately led to the consumption of all usable full in that tank. Therefore, the left engine lost all power during the initial climb after takeoff from a practice short-field landing. When the engine lost power, the student realized the right engine fuel selector was in "Cross-feed"and repositioned it to the "ON" position, but did not advise the flight instructor that she had done so. The flight instructor, who took control of the airplane after the loss of power, was unable to get the left propeller to fully feather due to the low oil pressure created by the low engine rpm. He therefore decided to attempted to turn back to the airport, but in doing so turned left (into the failed engine), and the airplane therefore began to descend at a rate that made it unlikely that he could safely reach the runway. He therefore landed in a nearby open field, whereupon the airplane encountered rough terrain and experienced a collapse of the left main landing gear. The commercially produced expanded checklist that the student was using did not have an added step in the "Before-Takeoff" section calling for a recheck of the fuel valves in the "ON" position. The expanded checklist produced by the airplane's operator did have such a step, but the operator did not have a written policy requiring the use of their checklist.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.