Piper PA-32-300 N4219T

Summary

On 11 September 2023 at about 00:50 local time, a Piper PA-32-300 registered N4219T was involved in an accident near Moberly, Missouri, United States. 2 people were 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

11 September 2023 at 00:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Moberly, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

Omar N Bradley Airport (MBY)

Coordinates

39.4184, -92.4382

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-300

Registration

N4219T

Category

Airplane

Year built

1971

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Columbia → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN23LA415

Nobody was injured.

The flight instructor’s inadequate fuel management that resulted in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power during an approach for landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor stated that prior to beginning the instructional flight, he visually confirmed there was fuel in each fuel tank. He did not use a fuel dip stick when he checked the fuel level and approximated the fuel level as 17 gallons. He said the flight would have required 8 gallons of fuel. About 10 miles from the destination airport, with the fuel selector positioned to the right main fuel tank, the engine began to run rough. He then selected the right auxiliary fuel tank, and the engine began to run smoothly again. About 4 miles from the destination airport and during the approach for landing, the engine began to run rough again. He then selected the left auxiliary fuel tank, but engine power was not restored. With the engine at idle power, he tried to restore engine power by cycling through the remaining fuel tanks but was unsuccessful. He then performed a forced landing to a field, during which the engine ceased to operate. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no leaks with the fuel system and no useable fuel was found in the left and right main fuel tanks. The flight instructor stated that after the accident, he checked the left auxiliary/tip tank and there was 7 gallon of fuel present. The examination revealed no failures or malfunctions with the airframe and engine that would have precluded normal airplane operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.