Piper PA-18A 150 N7278D accident near Garrison, Missouri

Probable cause

The pilot’s inadequate fuel planning which resulted in fuel starvation, a loss of engine power and a subsequent impact with terrain.

NTSB analysis

Before departure on the second leg of a cross-country flight in the newly purchased airplane, the pilot saw that the fuel sight gauge was indicating each fuel tank was 1/4 full. He calculated that the airplane contained a total of 10 gallons of fuel. Twenty minutes into the flight, the engine sputtered. He configured the airplane for a climb and increased power, at which time the engine sputtered again so he reduced the power to idle. He initiated a 360° turn for a forced landing and applied full flaps but decided to initiate a go-around due to a tailwind. During the climb, the engine lost all power. The airplane descended into trees and impacted terrain.

Postaccident examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical anomalies with the engine or airframe that would have precluded normal operation. The right tank was breached from impact and did not contain any fuel. The left wing fuel tank had only traces of fuel when the fuel line was disconnected; the fuel strainer and bowl also had only traces of fuel.

A fuel system had been installed on the airplane that provided the pilot the ability to select both fuel tanks for usage (this was not available in the factory installations). The usable fuel amount was 17.2 gallons per tank (0.8 gallons unusable). The fuel selector was found positioned on BOTH after the accident.

The pilot added that he calculated a fuel burn of about 10 gallons per hour (gph) from his first leg of the cross-country flight. Using the pilot’s calculation, the airplane should have had about 3.4 gallons of fuel after a 20-minute flight. The pilot further reported that he only checked the fuel sight gauges and did not visually verify the fuel level in each tank. As the left tank was void of fuel and undamaged, the fuel calculations suggest that the engine likely lost all power due to fuel starvation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR23LA158 for the full record.