N8095C

On November 12, 2023, about 1615 Alaska standard time, a Piper PA-22, N8095C, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot reported that he intended to conduct a short flight to run the engine to avoid a prolonged period between flights. He completed most of the preflight items earlier in the afternoon when he cleared snow off the airplane. He returned later, unplugged the engine heater, removed the engine blanket, and completed a final preflight check. The pilot determined the airplane’s fuel tanks contained a total of about 12 to 14 gallons of fuel, about 7 gallons in each wing tank. He stated that the airplane had large non-original fuel tanks and it was difficult to measure fuel quantities under 10 gallons; he was also uncertain about how much unusable fuel each tank held.

About 1610, he departed runway 32 and maintained a “close in” pattern with a climb to about 800 ft mean sea level. On the downwind leg he adjusted the engine power to 1500 rpm to start the approach. On final he placed the airplane in an uncoordinated slip to increase the airplane’s rate of descent. Close to the end of the approach, the pilot further reduced power, but then recognized that he was too low on the approach. He applied engine power to arrest the descent rate; however, the engine did not respond, and he realized that the engine had lost total power. He switched the fuel selector from the left tank to the both position in an attempt to restore engine power. He realized that the airplane did not have sufficient altitude to make the runway and he performed a forced landing short of the runway. The main landing gear impacted a berm along a roadway that ran across the approach end of runway 32, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and left-wing strut.

After the accident the pilot stated that the combination of low fuel state and the forward slip may have un-ported the fuel in the fuel tank resulting in the total loss of engine power.

A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the left and right fuel tanks were empty. The gascolator was full of fuel and the fuel was consistent with 100LL aviation gasoline. No fuel was observed in the lines entering or exiting the gascolator. The fuel strainer was clean and contained no water.

A postaccident examination of the engine was performed. The throttle, mixture, and carburetor heat controls were checked for continuity with no discrepancies noted. The top spark plugs were removed and were in serviceable condition with normal electrodes. Both magnetos and all ignition leads were checked for operation; spark was observed at each end of the top ignition lead when the crankshaft was rotated. A thumb compression check of all four cylinders verified compression. The oil level was at the correct level and no discrepancies were noted with the oil’s condition. The air filter was removed and found to be serviceable; the carburetor throat was clear of obstructions.