Piper PA-28-235 N8788W

Summary

On 24 June 2012 at about 19:30 local time, a Piper PA-28-235 registered N8788W, operated by John Lewis, was involved in an accident near Richmond, Indiana, United States. 4 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 June 2012 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Richmond, Indiana, United States

Nearest airport

Richmond Municipal (KRID)

Coordinates

39.7561, -84.8428

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-235

Registration

N8788W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

John Lewis

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Richmond → Richmond

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN12CA415

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to ensure that the fuel selector was properly positioned, 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

During the initial climb after takeoff, the engine lost power. The pilot reported that he performed the emergency procedures but did not think to check the position of the fuel selector. The pilot conducted a forced landing in a nearby field, and the airplane’s firewall and left wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that the fuel selector was on an auxiliary tank that did not contain any fuel. He added that the fuel selector was easy to move inadvertently and that a passenger’s foot may have moved the selector before takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.