Piper PA 28-180 N4286T
8 August 2014 · Sulphur, Louisiana, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 8 August 2014 at about 22:00 local time, a Piper PA 28-180 registered N4286T was involved in an accident near Sulphur, Louisiana, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 22:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Sulphur, Louisiana, United States
- Coordinates
- 30.2000, -93.3253
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 28-180
- Registration
- N4286T
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1971
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Public Use
- Purpose of flight
- Positioning
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Lake Charles → Orange
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN14TA421
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to properly manage the airplane’s fuel supply, which led to fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that the airplane's engine lost power about 5 minutes after takeoff and that the starter would not engage to facilitate a restart. He then executed a landing on a highway, during which the landing gear collapsed. After the accident, a first responder who held a pilot certificate examined the fuel tanks and found no fuel in the left fuel tank and that the right fuel tank was full. Additionally, the first responder found the fuel selector positioned to the left tank. No fuel leaks were detected. During recovery of the airplane, 22 gallons of fuel were drained from the right wing fuel tank and about 3 ounces of fuel were drained from the left wing fuel tank. Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine, including the engine starter, revealed no preimpact anomalies. The pilot provided fuel planning information that indicated that the airplane should have had sufficient fuel to complete the flight on a single tank; however, the pilot did not position the fuel selector to the full tank. Therefore, it is likely that the engine power loss was due to fuel starvation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-28 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Sep 2014 | Piper PA 28-140 | Belen, New Mexico, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 21 Apr 2014 | Piper PA 28-181 | Put in Bay, Ohio, United States | Griffing Flying Service | No injuries | - |
| 4 Feb 2014 | Piper PA 28-181 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | TransPac Aviation Academy | Serious injuries | - |
| 8 Feb 2014 | Piper PA-28-161 | Stuart, Florida, United States | Fishe Flying Corp | Fatal | 1 |
| 15 Jun 2014 | Piper PA 28-180 | Quincy, California, United States | Parker Larry | No injuries | - |
| 10 Aug 2014 | Piper PA 28-161 | Block Island, Rhode Island, United States | Danic Electric Corp | No injuries | - |
All 9,402 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Oct 2014 | Robinson R66 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States | Guidance Academy, LLC | No injuries | - |
| 13 Nov 2014 | Cessna 172K | Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 5 May 2014 | Air Tractor AT 301 | Hessmer, Louisiana, United States | Pro-Air LLC | No injuries | - |
| 19 Feb 2014 | Air Tractor AT 602 | Church Point, Louisiana, United States | Richard Flying Service, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 31 Jul 2014 | Aviat A-1C-180 | Oakdale, Louisiana, United States | Boyd Group LLC | No injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 2014 | Brupbacher Chris CB2000 | Reserve, Louisiana, United States | Mahler, Darren J. | Fatal | 2 |