Piper PA-30 N8432Y

Summary

On 26 April 2026 at about 16:59 local time, a Piper PA-30 registered N8432Y was involved in an accident near Enterprise, Alabama, 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

26 April 2026 at 16:59

Classification

Accident

Location

Enterprise, Alabama, United States

Nearest airport

Enterprise Muni (EDN)

Coordinates

31.2871, -85.9210

Aircraft

Piper PA-30

Registration

N8432Y

Category

Airplane

Year built

1967

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA26LA190

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inadequate preflight and inflight fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation and subsequent forced landing into trees.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight in the multiengine airplane was to build proficiency and to take an acquaintance, who was not a pilot, on a familiarization flight. The pilot described that before departing the airplane had 22 gallons of fuel in the main fuel tanks, and 15 gallons of fuel in the auxiliary fuel tanks, and that the entire flight was conducted utilizing the main fuel tanks. The pilot flew over a practice area for 20 minutes and then returned to the departure airport where he performed two uneventful touch-and-go landings. The pilot added that he miscalculated the fuel consumption rate and thought about 15 minutes of fuel remained for the third landing, which would have been full-stop. He further stated that while turning from the downwind to the base leg of the airport traffic pattern for the third landing, both engines lost total power. The pilot turned toward the runway and attempted to restart one of the engines; however, the attempt was unsuccessful and the airplane impacted trees about ½-mile short of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and both wings. The pilot added that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.