Piper PA28R N15302

Summary

On 28 July 2020 at about 06:43 local time, a Piper PA28R registered N15302, operated by Anson Air Llc, was involved in an accident near Houston, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 July 2020 at 06:43

Classification

Accident

Location

Houston, Texas, United States

Coordinates

29.7590, -95.3708

Aircraft

Piper PA28R

Registration

N15302

Category

Airplane

Year built

1972

Engines

1

Operator

Anson Air Llc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Houston → Houston

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

CEN20LA314

2 people were seriously injured.

The loss of engine power for a reason that could not be determined based on available evidence.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was operating at cruise altitude on a night cross-country flight when the engine lost all power. While in communication with an air traffic controller after the loss of engine power, the pilot reported that the airplane had 10 gallons of fuel on-board. The pilot executed a forced landing to a residential area. Examination of the airplane, including its engine and fuel system revealed no anomalies that would have prevented normal operation. However, both fuel tanks were compromised during the accident and an accurate determination of the fuel onboard at the time of the accident was not possible. According to recorded flight data, the flight lasted 4 hours and 40 minutes. Based on the airplane’s usable fuel capacity of 48 gallons and fuel burn rates derived from the pilot’s operating manual, the airplane likely had fuel remaining onboard at the time the engine quit. However, the airplane was equipped with two separate fuel tanks that could be selected by the pilot individually but not simultaneously. It is possible that the selected fuel tank was empty while the other fuel tank had fuel remaining. Since both fuel tanks were compromised during the accident, it was not possible to determine if this was the case. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined from the available information.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.