Piper PA-34-200T N2822F accident near Phoenix, Arizona

Probable cause

The pilot’s mismanagement of the fuel onboard, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Contributing to the fuel starvation was the erroneous indications on the fuel gauges.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that while on final approach to the runway, he began to apply power but realized that both engines had lost power. Despite the pilot’s troubleshooting, which included verifying that both fuel selector valves were in the forward position, he was unable to restore engine power and initiated a forced landing to a nearby road. During the landing sequence, the airplane struck a powerline and unoccupied vehicles prior to coming to rest upright.

The pilot reported that he had placed the right engine fuel selector valve to cross-feed to demonstrate to the passenger how to correct a fuel imbalance; however, he could not recall whether the right fuel selector valve was in the cross-feed position at the time of the accident. He added that the day before the accident, a quantity of fuel was added to the airplane such that the fuel gauges indicated 40 gallons per side. He did not visually verify the quantity of fuel in each tank.

Postaccident examination of the recovered wreckage revealed that the left-wing fuel sender units and fuel gauges indicated fuel levels significantly higher than what was present in the fuel tanks. Although the indication discrepancy of the right-wing fuel sender units was greater for fuel levels in the tank above 30 gallons, the indication was mostly accurate for fuel levels below 30 gallons.

It’s likely that the pilot had inadvertently left the fuel selector valve for the right engine in the cross-feed position, which allowed both engines to draw fuel from the left-wing fuel tank and ultimately lead to fuel starvation. Contributing to the fuel starvation was the erroneous fuel level indications portrayed on the fuel gauges.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR20LA038 for the full record.