Piper PA28 N55162 accident near Jonesboro, Georgia

Probable cause

Both pilots’ inadequate preflight inspection and inadequate fuel monitoring during the flight, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

NTSB analysis

Both pilots reported that they were sharing flying responsibilities during the night cross-country flights to build flight time. The pilot in the left seat was performing the takeoffs and landings, while the pilot in the right seat flew the en route portion of the flights. Before departing on the accident flight, the pilots added 15 gallons of fuel, which brought the right fuel tank to full and the left fuel tank to about half to three-fourths full. The pilot in the left seat departed with the fuel selector position to the left tank (the fuel selector handle was located on the left side of the cockpit).

As they neared the destination airport of the planned 1 hour 47-minute flight, the pilot in the left seat switched the fuel selector from left tank to right tank. At that time, the left fuel tank would have been nearly empty after departing with that tank half full and drawing from it for the entire accident flight. Shortly thereafter, the engine lost all power. She performed the emergency checklist items but was unable to restart the engine while the pilot in the right seat continued flying the airplane. The airplane was unable to glide to the nearest airport and they performed a forced landing into trees.

Examination of the wreckage revealed that it came to rest nose-down in a wooded area. Both wing fuel tanks were breached and there was no fuel odor or browning of vegetation at the accident site. The left-wing fuel cap remained secured; however, the right-wing fuel cap was missing and was not located at the accident site. Based on this information, it is likely that the right-wing fuel cap was not secured before departure and, during the accident flight, fuel siphoned from the right tank without either pilot noticing. The loose or missing right fuel cap was not identified during the preflight inspection of the airplane nor was the resulting fuel imbalance identified during the flight.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA24LA006 for the full record.