Piper PA28 N951TS accident near Jacksonville, Florida

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to select a fuel tank with adequate fuel, which resulted in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power.

NTSB analysis

After the pilot completed two touch-and-go landings, the airplane was climbing when the engine lost total power. He advanced the throttle full forward, but the engine did not respond. The pilot did not attempt to troubleshoot the loss of power and did not check the fuel selector valve position. The pilot flew the airplane under power lines and executed a forced landing in the marsh during which the airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage and ailerons. The pilot stated that before takeoff, the left and right main fuel tanks contained 15 and 13 gallons, respectively, and the wing tip fuel tanks contained minimal fuel. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel selector value was positioned to the left tip tank; the tank was not breached during the accident and contained about 10 ounces of fuel. Based on the evidence, it is likely that the pilot did not verify the fuel selector position and had the left tip tank selected, which did not contain enough usable fuel. Thus, the engine experienced a total loss of power due to fuel starvation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN19LA257 for the full record.