Piper PA-28-180 N57PJ

Summary

On 28 July 2010 at about 18:25 local time, a Piper PA-28-180 registered N57PJ, operated by Robert Schmidt, was involved in an accident near Walla Walla, Washington, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 July 2010 at 18:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Walla Walla, Washington, United States

Coordinates

46.4122, -117.8014

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-180

Registration

N57PJ

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Robert Schmidt

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

College Place → College Place

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR10LA370

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's partial incapacitation during cruise flight and his subsequent inadequate fuel management, which resulted in fuel starvation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was going to conduct a local scenic flight, and had taken a Dramamine prior to takeoff in anticipation of turbulence over the mountains. Prior to takeoff, the pilot reported that the fuel tanks were full and that he took off with the fuel selector on the right fuel tank. About 1/2 hour into the flight he reported to air traffic control that he was at 10,600 feet and had an anomaly with the airplane. The controller reported that over the next hour, the pilot could not determine the nature of the emergency. According to the controller, with each successive pilot transmission, the pilot's voice was sounding more uneven and his speech rate was slowly deteriorating. Thereafter, the pilot stopped responding to air traffic control. Radar track data of the airplane's flight revealed various circles and a zigzag-like pattern leading up to the area of the crash site. A witness who saw the airplane land stated that the airplane fully stalled just above a wheat field. The airplane struck the ground extremely hard and nosed over. When the witness arrived on scene the pilot was unconscious. The witness also noted that he did not notice any gas leaking from the wings nor did he smell gas. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the fuel selector valve was on the right tank and the right fuel tank was empty. Very little damage was noted to the propeller. The pilot reported that he has no recollection of any of the events leading up to the accident after the initial position report.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.