Fuel Exhaustion & Starvation · NTSB ERA14FA162
PIPER PA-28-181 — Safety Harbor, FL
| Date | March 22, 2014 |
| Location | Safety Harbor, FL |
| Aircraft | PIPER PA-28-181 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Night · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Approach Loss of engine power (total) |
| Pilot age | 53 |
| Pilot total time | 1,549 hrs · Experienced |
| Time in type | 999,999 hrs |
| Fatalities | 2, 1 serious |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Fuel planning-Pilot - C
- Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid level - C
- Personnel issues-Physical-Impairment/incapacitation-Illicit drug-Pilot - F
- Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Wire-Contributed to outcome
What happened
During the night cross-country flight, the airplane had been flying for 4 hours 21 minutes and was about 6 miles from the destination airport when the pilot reported a fuel emergency to air traffic control. The pilot stated that he was going to attempt to land on a highway; however, the airplane collided with 160-ft-tall power lines that crossed the highway. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions of the airframe or engine, and only a few ounces of fuel were recovered from the wreckage. The airplane held 48 usable gallons of fuel and consumed about 10.5 gallons per hour, resulting in an expected endurance of 4 hours 35 minutes, which does not account for fuel used during taxi, takeoff, and climb. The pilot's toxicology results were positive for cocaine, and impairment from cocaine likely affected his preflight fuel planning abilities and en route fuel management.