Piper PA-24-250 N6514P

Summary

On 9 March 2015 at about 18:10 local time, a Piper PA-24-250 registered N6514P, operated by Gregory Piehl, was involved in an accident near Fort Myers, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, 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

9 March 2015 at 18:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Myers, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Page Field (FMY)

Coordinates

26.5867, -81.8633

Aircraft

Piper PA-24-250

Registration

N6514P

Category

Airplane

Year built

1959

Engines

1

Operator

Gregory Piehl

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

ST. Petersburg → Fort Myers

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA15LA149

1 person died.

The pilot's inadvertent placement of both fuel selectors to the "off" position, which resulted in 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, about 10 miles from the destination airport, he switched the left and right fuel tanks from the auxiliary position to the main tank position. On final approach for landing and when the airplane was at an altitude of about 500 ft, the engine stopped producing power. The propeller continued to rotate, but the engine did not respond to throttle inputs. The pilot stated that he then switched the fuel selectors from the main tank position back to the auxiliary tank position and turned on the electric fuel boost pumps, but the engine did not regain power. He added that, each time he moved the fuel selectors, he visually confirmed their position. The pilot performed a forced landing to a parking lot, during which the airframe aft of the engine compartment was fractured and the fuselage was substantially damaged. There was no odor of fuel or evidence of fuel spillage at the accident scene; however, the fuel caps were removed, and large quantities of fuel were found in each wing tank. Examination of the cockpit revealed that both the left and right tank fuel selectors were in the "off" position and that the fuel selector position decal had been displaced upward and over each handle by impact forces, which indicates that the fuel selectors were in the "off" position at impact and not moved subsequently. Continuity of the fuel system was confirmed from all four fuel tanks, through the fuel selectors, to the fuel supply line forward of the firewall. The engine was test run, and it started immediately, accelerated smoothly, and ran without interruption at all power settings.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.