Summary
On March 15, 1996, a Piper PA-38-112 (N2503B) was involved in an incident near St. Paul, MN. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's failure to assure an adequate fuel supply for the flight which resulted in fuel exhaustion. A factor associated with the accident was the signs contacted by the airplane during the forced landing.
On March 14, 1996, at 2130 central standard time, a Piper PA-38- 112, N2503B, collided with a sign post during a forced landing on a road in St. Paul, Minnesota. The personal CFR 14 Part 91 flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The airplane was substantially damaged. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The last leg of the flight originated from Hayward, Wisconsin.
The pilot stated that the airplane was topped off with fuel "into the neck of the filler" which resulted in 30 gallons of usable fuel. He stated he departed Hayward at 1600 cst and flew up to Lake Superior, east of Duluth, Minnesota, and returned to land at Hayward at 1830. The pilot reported that at 2000 cst he started the engine to depart Hayward en route to Lake Elmo.
This incident is documented in NTSB report CHI96LA107. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N2503B.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
the pilot's failure to assure an adequate fuel supply for the flight which resulted in fuel exhaustion. A factor associated with the accident was the signs contacted by the airplane during the forced landing.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On March 14, 1996, at 2130 central standard time, a Piper PA-38- 112, N2503B, collided with a sign post during a forced landing on a road in St. Paul, Minnesota. The personal CFR 14 Part 91 flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The airplane was substantially damaged. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The last leg of the flight originated from Hayward, Wisconsin.
The pilot stated that the airplane was topped off with fuel "into the neck of the filler" which resulted in 30 gallons of usable fuel. He stated he departed Hayward at 1600 cst and flew up to Lake Superior, east of Duluth, Minnesota, and returned to land at Hayward at 1830. The pilot reported that at 2000 cst he started the engine to depart Hayward en route to Lake Elmo. While en route practice IFR holds and an approach were performed near the Anoka County Airport. The pilot had completed these procedures and was heading toward Lake Elmo when the engine "rapidly started to loose power." The pilot stated he switched fuel tanks and turned on the fuel pump. He stated that power was regained for a few seconds before power was lost a second time.
The pilot stated he maintained a 70 knot descent and prepared to land on a road (Route 36 in North St. Paul). During the landing the left wing contacted a street sign. The airplane veered across the center median and the right wing contacted another sign. The nose gear also collapsed during the forced landing.
The pilot calculated his total hobbs time between refueling and the accident as 4 hours 11 minutes. The pilot reported that using fuel consumption values based on those provided in the Pilot Operating Handbook he should have had an endurance of 5 hours.
The airplane was inspected by an Inspector from the Minneapolis, Minnesota Flight Standards District Office of the Federal Aviation Administration. He reported that upon his inspection of the airplane only residual fuel remained in the fuel system. He continued to state that the fuel system was intact with no signs of fuel leakage.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CHI96LA107