Piper PA24 N5939P accident near Midland, Michigan

Probable cause

The loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported he and the pilot-rated passenger departed on the first flight of the day with the right fuel tank full of fuel and the left fuel tank partially full. He did not state which fuel tank they had selected for the flight which lasted about 30 minutes, but that the pilot-rated passenger flew this leg. He stated they made a full stop landing, taxied back for another takeoff, and after the second landing they taxied to the fuel pumps where they added 18 gallons of fuel to the left fuel tank.

The pilot reported that he has little recall of the accident portion of the flight, but that he was likely flying this portion of the flight. Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast data indicated that the airplane took off and climbed straight ahead to an altitude of about 2,550 ft mean sea level (msl). It then began a right turn back towards the departure airport. The last recorded data point showed the airplane at an indicated altitude of 675 ft msl. The airplane struck a fence and a large grass-covered mound of dirt before it came to rest upright. A witness on the ground heard the pilot state over the radio that they had lost engine power and would perform a forced landing.

A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operations. The fuel selector valve was selected to the right fuel tank. The right fuel tank bladder was intact and did not contain any fuel. The fuel lines on the right side were also empty of fuel. There was no evidence of fuel staining or fuel blight on the right side of the airplane. The left fuel tank bladder was impact damaged and contained a small amount of fuel. Fuel blighting was observed under the left wing during recovery. In addition, fuel staining was observed under the left wing.

The available evidence suggests that the engine lost power due to fuel starvation in that the right fuel tank was empty and the left tank contained an unknown amount of fuel at the time of the accident.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN20LA373 for the full record.