Piper PA28 N98146 accident near Mokuleia, Hawaii

Probable cause

A total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of the flight instructor's inadequate preflight inspection.

NTSB analysis

The flight instructor reported that, before the flight, he requested that the airplane be refueled, and his subsequent preflight inspection revealed that the airplane had been fueled to the specified level. While conducting touch-and-go takeoffs and landings during the instructional flight, the engine lost power about 300 ft above ground level, and the instructor performed a forced landing to an open field adjacent to the runway. The airplane impacted a fence and came to rest upright.

Postaccident examination revealed that the right-wing fuel tank contained about 7 to 8 gallons of fuel, with a slow fuel leak, and the left-wing fuel tank was void of fuel and undamaged. The fuel selector was positioned to the left-wing tank. An engine test run revealed no anomalies. Interviews with the staff of the fixed base operator from which the instructor ordered fuel revealed that a fuel order was received for the accident airplane; however, the airplane was not refueled before the accident flight.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR18TA236 for the full record.