Piper PA 28-181 N312PA

Summary

On 4 February 2014 at about 18:50 local time, a Piper PA 28-181 registered N312PA, operated by TransPac Aviation Academy, was involved in an accident near Phoenix, Arizona, United States. 3 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured, 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

4 February 2014 at 18:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Phoenix, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Phoenix Deer Valley (DVT)

Coordinates

33.6883, -112.0825

Aircraft

Piper PA 28-181

Registration

N312PA

Category

Airplane

Year built

2002

Engines

1

Operator

TransPac Aviation Academy

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Phoenix → Phoenix

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR14FA111

2 people were seriously injured.

The student pilot’s inadvertent positioning of the fuel selector in an intermediate position, which resulted in a 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 and flight instructor were conducting touch-and-go landings. The student flew an approach that required slipping the airplane and maintaining a low engine power setting. During the climb after the touch-and-go landing, the airplane's engine lost power about 200 ft above ground level. The flight instructor stated that the engine's rpm was decreasing and he decided to turn toward the airport area. Subsequently, the flight instructor initiated a forced landing to a field near the airport. During the landing sequence, the airplane struck and breached the airport's perimeter fence and then nosed over; a postaccident fire ensued. The postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. During the examination of the airplane wreckage, the fuel selector was found in an intermediate position. Ground testing of a similar model airplane revealed that the engine could run several minutes with the fuel selector positioned in this intermediate position. The student and the instructor stated that the student switched the fuel selector about 9 miles from the airport per operator requirements to switch fuel tanks every 30 minutes. Because of the location of the fuel selector, the flight instructor could not visually confirm its position. It is likely that the student inadvertently positioned the airplane's fuel selector in an intermediate setting, which restricted the engine's fuel supply. Further, the engine's low power setting during the approach allowed the engine to run for several minutes on the fuel remaining in the return line and operate until shortly after the completion of the touch-and-go landing. Subsequently, during the climb, when the engine power was advanced, it is likely that the remaining fuel in the return line was exhausted and led to the engine power loss.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.