Piper PA 28-181 N4122F

Summary

On 1 December 2010 at about 17:45 local time, a Piper PA 28-181 registered N4122F, operated by TransPac Aviation Academy, was involved in an accident near Wittmann, Arizona, 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

1 December 2010 at 17:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Wittmann, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

33.7903, -112.4828

Aircraft

Piper PA 28-181

Registration

N4122F

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

TransPac Aviation Academy

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Wickenburg → Phoenix

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11LA067

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s improper fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot was making a solo cross-country flight involving four flight legs. Before beginning the final return leg, he completed multiple full stop landings and touch-and-go landings that he had not included in his preflight planning. During the final leg, the engine began to lose power. The student pilot switched the fuel selector valve to the left tank, but then switched it back to the right tank after a short period of time. The engine subsequently lost all power, and the student pilot made a forced landing in rough terrain. Postaccident examination revealed that the right fuel tank was not breached and was empty of fuel. The left fuel tank was breached, and the soil beneath the tank was wet with fuel. After the wreckage was recovered, a fuel delivery system was rigged, and the engine was started and continued to run as the fuel selector was positioned to both the right and left fuel tank positions. According to the pilot operating handbook for the airplane, if the pilot allows a tank to run dry and the engine loses power, it may take up to 10 seconds for fuel to reach the engine after the other tank is selected. It is likely that, after running the right tank dry, the pilot did not leave the selector in the left tank position for long enough to allow fuel to reach the engine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.