Piper PA-28-140 N3508K

Summary

On 17 June 2023 at about 05:57 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N3508K was involved in an accident near Rochester, Nevada, United States. 3 people were 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 June 2023 at 05:57

Classification

Accident

Location

Rochester, Nevada, United States

Coordinates

40.3170, -118.0790

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N3508K

Category

Airplane

Year built

1967

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

South Valley → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

WPR23LA232

1 person had minor injuries.

A broken fuel line fitting that 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 was on a cross-country flight when the engine lost power during cruise flight. He said the engine rpm initially decreased from 2,400 rpm to 950 rpm, before decreasing until the engine lost all power. The pilot stated that he did not hear any unusual noises from the engine at the time it lost power, but he observed the fuel flow initially increase from 7.2 gallons per hour (gph) to 9 gph, before continuing to increase to 15 gph. He performed the emergency checklist for loss of engine power inflight but was unable to restart the engine. The pilot had the left fuel tank selected when the loss of power occurred. The pilot initiated a forced landing to an area of flat terrain. During the landing, all three landing gear collapsed, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. The engine and fuel system were examined and the fuel line fitting connecting the fuel second flow sensor to the fuel line that ran to the carburetor was found broken. About 15 gallons of fuel remained in the left fuel tank and the right fuel tank was breached during the impact. No additional anomalies were noted during the examination of the engine and airframe. The pilot’s observations of the fuel flow readings increasing as the engine lost power and his inability to restart the engine are consistent with the fuel line fitting breaking inflight, resulting in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Complete maintenance records were not available to determine when the fuel flow sensors had been installed or if any maintenance had been performed on the suspect fuel fitting after installation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.