Piper PA-32R N1392H accident near Wasilla, Alaska

Probable cause

A loss of engine power in flight due to fuel starvation as a result of the pilot's inadequate fuel management.

NTSB analysis

The commercial pilot began his preflight inspection of his airplane for a local personal flight by rocking the wings, and he heard fuel sloshing in the wing fuel tanks. After starting the engine, the pilot noted that the left fuel gauge was indicating about 10 gallons and the right tank was indicating about 15 gallons. The pilot indicated that he taxied the length of the runway before takeoff and made a 180-degree right turn at the end while adding engine power for the takeoff run. About 100 feet above the ground, the engine began to lose power and the pilot switched to the right fuel tank, but the engine did not restart before the airplane descended into trees and impacted the ground. The pilot said that after the accident he noticed that the left wing fuel tank contained about 3 gallons and the right tank contained about 10 to 15 gallons. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported that the pilot thought that he may have starved the engine of fuel since the left tank only had about 3 gallons of fuel in it.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ANC09LA007 for the full record.