Piper PA-28-180 N9467J

Summary

On 17 November 2021 at about 17:44 local time, a Piper PA-28-180 registered N9467J, operated by Red Rock Flying School LLC, was involved in an accident near Farmington, New Mexico, 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.

Date

17 November 2021 at 17:44

Classification

Accident

Location

Farmington, New Mexico, United States

Nearest airport

Four Corners Rgnl (FMN)

Coordinates

36.7389, -108.2074

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-180

Registration

N9467J

Category

Airplane

Year built

1966

Engines

1

Operator

Red Rock Flying School LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mesa → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR22LA041

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s inadequate fuel management which resulted in a total 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 pilot reported that, he calculated 30 gallons of fuel to complete the accident flight and then departed the airport with 36 gallons of fuel onboard. A few minutes later he returned to the departure airport after he noticed that the door was not latched properly. The subsequent departure and flight were uneventful until the pilot was approaching his destination and had been cleared to land. At this time, he observed the fuel tanks were between 0 and 10 gallons on each side. He then selected the left fuel tank as it appeared to have more fuel, but within one minute the engine lost power. The pilot then notified air traffic control that he would not make the runway and landed in a dirt lot, which resulted in substantial damage to the right aileron and wings. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. He stated that the operator traveled to the site and observed about 4 gallons in the right fuel tank and no fuel in the left tank. The pilot further reported that the accident was the result of fuel starvation, inaccuracy of the fuel gauges and improper fuel planning.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.