Piper AEROSTAR 600A N10HK

Summary

On 2 July 2021 at about 00:08 local time, a Piper AEROSTAR 600A registered N10HK was involved in an accident near Wichita, Kansas, 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

2 July 2021 at 00:08

Classification

Accident

Location

Wichita, Kansas, United States

Coordinates

37.8195, -97.2262

Aircraft

Piper AEROSTAR 600A

Registration

N10HK

Category

Airplane

Year built

1980

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sioux Falls → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN21LA302

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s improper fuel planning and management, which 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 was conducting a cross-country flight in the multiengine airplane when, about 8 miles north of the intended destination, the right engine began “sputtering and popping,” and he shut it down and feathered the propeller. Shortly thereafter, the left engine began “slowly spooling down” and the airplane was not able to maintain airspeed and altitude. The pilot performed a forced landing to a flat, muddy wheat field, resulting in substantial damage. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies. There was no evidence of fuel at the accident site or in the airplane. During the recovery of the airplane from the field, no fuel was found in the three intact fuel tanks nor in any of the engine fuel lines. The pilot later stated that he ran the airplane out of fuel.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.