Piper PA-28 N15608

Summary

On 16 October 2020 at about 23:20 local time, a Piper PA-28 registered N15608, operated by Fluid Process Automated LLC, was involved in an accident near Beloit, Ohio, United States. One person was 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

16 October 2020 at 23:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Beloit, Ohio, United States

Coordinates

40.9360, -81.0050

Aircraft

Piper PA-28

Registration

N15608

Category

Airplane

Year built

1972

Engines

1

Operator

Fluid Process Automated LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Warren → Beloit

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

CEN21LA020

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection and inflight planning that resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he did not adequately verify the required fuel was onboard during the preflight inspection. After completing a local flight, while on approach for landing, the engine lost total power and the pilot made a forced landing that resulted in damage to the fuselage, right wing leading edge, and both ailerons. He initially assumed the cause of the engine power loss was carburetor icing. A postaccident examination revealed the fuel tanks were intact and empty. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. He added that the airplane had not been refueled after a previous flight as he had assumed and attributed his oversight during the preflight inspection to complacency and rushing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.