Piper PA-38 N2578L accident near Madera, California

Probable cause

The pilots' inadequate fuel planning, which resulted in the airplane departing with insufficient fuel to complete the planned flight, and their failure to recognize that discrepancy en route, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

NTSB analysis

The flight instructor and the pilot receiving instruction planned to originate and terminate the flight at the flight school's home airport with an intermediate stop and a touch-and-go landing at other airports. Both the intermediate stop (at an airport closer than the original planned destination) and the touch-and-go landing were accomplished. On the return leg, when the airplane was about 25 miles from the home airport, the engine stopped developing power, and the instructor conducted a forced landing in a field. Examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel tanks were devoid of fuel and did not reveal any other possible reasons for the complete loss of engine power.

The pilot calculated the total fuel required for the trip to the original destination, and then from the intermediate stop back including reserves but not including unusable fuel. None of the calculations included fuel for the touch-and-go landing or its associated maneuvering, which would have added to the fuel required.

After landing at the intermediate stop, the pilot's observed onboard fuel quantity was less than the pilot's calculations indicated was necessary for a direct return, which did not include the fuel for the touch-and-go landing. Despite that and the fact that fuel was available, no fuel was added.

Just before the power loss, the instructor observed that the fuel quantity gauges indicated that about 10 gallons of fuel remained. Although the instructor had previously noted inaccurate cockpit fuel quantity indications in the airplane, he did not believe that the indicated fuel quantity was inaccurate. Had either the instructor or the pilot compared the indicated fuel remaining values with the planned values, they would have detected a discrepancy, which, in turn, should have prompted them to land at an airport short of the home airport to take on additional fuel.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR13LA383 for the full record.