Piper PA-28-161 N20977 accident near Winchester, Virginia

Probable cause

The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection and failure to ensure an adequate quantity of fuel was available for the flight.

NTSB analysis

The pilot stated that he departed on the local flight with an undetermined quantity of fuel. As the airplane neared the traffic pattern at the destination airport, the engine lost power. The pilot unsuccessfully attempted to restore engine power, and subsequently performed a forced landing. The airplane impacted a fence about 1,200 feet short of the runway threshold, which resulted in substantial damage. No fuel or evidence of fuel spillage was noted at the accident scene. The engine started immediately, ran continuously, and showed no evidence of any mechanical abnormalities during a postaccident test-run. Examination of fuel records revealed that the airplane was last fueled about one week prior the the accident and flew 4.2 flight hours prior to the loss of engine power. According to the airplane's Operating Handbook, the airplane contained two 25-gallon fuel tanks, 1 gallon of which was unusable in each tank. Fuel consumption calculations using data from the handbook revealed that at power settings between 55 and 75-percent power, and between best power and best economy fuel flow settings, the airplane would have an expected cruise endurance of between 4.8 and 5.6 hours. The calculation was for cruise endurance only, and did not take into account fuel burned during taxi, run-up, takeoff, climb, descent, or landing.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA09LA456 for the full record.