Piper PA28 N1347T

Summary

On 12 May 2023 at about 00:15 local time, a Piper PA28 registered N1347T was involved in an accident near Selma, Alabama, 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

12 May 2023 at 00:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Selma, Alabama, United States

Coordinates

32.3945, -86.9169

Aircraft

Piper PA28

Registration

N1347T

Category

Airplane

Year built

1972

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pell City → Monroeville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA23LA232

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s improper preflight inspection, during which the left wing fuel sump drain was moved to and left in the open and locked position, allowing for fuel to drain during the flight and resulting in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to follow the emergency checklist by not switching fuel tanks following the loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he performed a preflight inspection and observed 48 gallons of fuel in the fuel tanks before departing on the cross-country flight using fuel from the right wing fuel tank. About 30 minutes into the flight, he switched to the left wing fuel tank, and about 25 minutes later, the airplane engine lost power. He attempted to restore engine power; however, he did not move the fuel selector back to the right wing fuel tank and the engine did not regain power. The pilot attempted a forced landing to a field; however, the airplane impacted an area of pine trees before the field, resulting in substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. Postaccident examination revealed that the fuel selector was positioned to the left tank, and the left wing fuel sump drain was in the open and locked position. The left wing fuel tank was mostly intact and void of fuel. Review of a photo of the airplane taken several minutes after the accident revealed fuel staining on the left flap aft of the fuel drain, consistent with fuel leakage during the flight. It is likely that when sampling the fuel from the left wing before the flight, the pilot inadvertently twisted the sump drain into the up and locked open position, allowing fuel to drain during the entire flight, resulting in fuel starvation. Had the pilot followed the emergency checklist procedures and switched to the right wing fuel tank he would have likely been able to restore power to the engine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.