N8950N

On February 1, 1995, at 1500 hours mountain standard time, the pilot of a Piper PA-32-300, N8950N, experienced a loss of engine power and made a forced landing into a dirt field damaging the nose and main landing gear near Buckeye, Arizona. The aircraft was substantially damaged and the pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the pleasure flight. The aircraft departed Mesa, Arizona, at 1430 hours for a flight to Riverside, California.

According to the pilot, he lost engine power while cruising at 6,500 feet, about 30 minutes after takeoff. Attempts to restart were unsuccessful. The pilot selected a field south of the freeway and landed, damaging the aircraft.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the fuel tanks afterwards. He found that the right main fuel tank was empty, the right tip tank was full; the left main fuel tank had 15 gallons, and the left tip tank had 11 gallons of fuel remaining. The fuel selector was found positioned on the left tip tank.

The inspector supervised the starting of the engine. It started on the first attempt and ran at 1,500 rpm for about 5 minutes without any problems noted. The pilot wrote in his report that fuel line cavitation was suspected.