Piper PA-28-181 N46MD

Summary

On 24 August 2021 at about 15:33 local time, a Piper PA-28-181 registered N46MD, operated by Itechnology Design Inc, was involved in an accident near Gypsum, Colorado, 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

24 August 2021 at 15:33

Classification

Accident

Location

Gypsum, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Eagle County Regional (EGE)

Coordinates

39.6231, -106.9382

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-181

Registration

N46MD

Category

Airplane

Year built

1976

Engines

1

Operator

Itechnology Design Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN21LA383

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation and the pilot's mismanagement of the available fuel.

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 fuel tanks were filled to the tabs during the preflight. He then departed on about a two-hour local flight, which included touch and go landings. He added that he did a soft field technique, where he pulled up abruptly. The engine then ran rough, so he leveled off, and the engine regained power briefly, before going to idle rpm. He lowered the flaps for the forced landing. During the forced landing, the left wing separated from the airplane after impact with a fence post. The pilot stated that he ran the fuel tank too low and when he pulled up during the takeoff, the remaining fuel was unable to reach the engine. He added that he “just ran the left tank too long without switching” fuel tanks.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.