Summary
On July 26, 2008, a Piper PA-12 (N4361M) was involved in an accident near Rio Grande, NJ. The accident resulted in 1 serious injury. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: A total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's inadequate fuel management.
On July 26, 2008, approximately 1745 eastern daylight time (edt), a Piper PA-12 Airplane, N4361M, made a forced landing, in a residential area of Rio Grande, New Jersey, after a complete loss of engine power, The airplane was substantially damaged and the commercial pilot received serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and the flight was being operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 without a flight plan. The flight was for the purpose of towing a banner and had departed Lakewood, New Jersey about 1345 EDT.
About four hours into the flight the engine started sputtering and eventually stopped completely.
This accident is documented in NTSB report CHI08LA215. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N4361M.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
A total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's inadequate fuel management.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On July 26, 2008, approximately 1745 eastern daylight time (edt), a Piper PA-12 Airplane, N4361M, made a forced landing, in a residential area of Rio Grande, New Jersey, after a complete loss of engine power, The airplane was substantially damaged and the commercial pilot received serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and the flight was being operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 without a flight plan. The flight was for the purpose of towing a banner and had departed Lakewood, New Jersey about 1345 EDT.
About four hours into the flight the engine started sputtering and eventually stopped completely. The pilot reported that at the cruise power setting used, at the time of the power loss, 15-20 minutes of fuel remained in the tanks according to calculations based on fuel burn data gathered throughout the previous month.
A Federal Aviation Inspector looked at the fuel tanks at at the accident site and found them to be empty.
The pilot stated in the recommendations section of the pilot report that "in order to reduce my total flight time and land with required fuel minimums, I should have turned inland at an earlier point."
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CHI08LA215