CLOSTER, NJ, USA
N1792T
Piper PA-28-140
The pilot had been airborne for 4 hours, 20 minutes, on an aerial observation flight, in a Piper PA-28-140, and was returning to his departure airport, when the engine lost power. He switched fuel tanks, but was unable to get the engine running again. He made a forced landing on a golf course. During the ground roll, the left wing struck a tree, which ruptured the fuel tank and bent the wing backwards. Examination of the airplane revealed that the right wing fuel tank was empty, and there was no evidence of a fuel spill from the ruptured left wing fuel tank. The pilot reported that he had departed with 36 gallons onboard and planned on a fuel burn of 7 gallons per hour.
On September 9, 1996, about 1815 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N1792T, operated by Multi Air Service Inc. for Shadow Traffic, was substantially damaged during a forced landing in Closter, New Jersey. The commercial pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the local aerial observation flight which departed from the Essex County Airport, Caldwell, New Jersey, about 1400, and was operated under 14 CFR Part 91. In the NTSB Accident report, the pilot stated: "...I planned a flight to do traffic patrol, the flight was planned and conducted at 1500 [feet] MSL at 2100 RPM. According to the performance charts, that would give me a fuel burn of 5.6 gph. To be more conservative and at the advice of the aircraft owner, I normally use 7 GPH fuel burn for this type of flight. There was over 36 gallons of fuel on board because both tanks were over the tabs. This provided me with over 5 hrs. 10 minutes fuel on board. I took off at 2:00 PM. At approximately 6:15 - 6:30 PM I experienced engine trouble. On the way back to the airport, the engine cut off and I couldn't restart it. After switching tanks and attempting a restart the engine started then stopped again. I called Teterboro tower and told them I was doing a precautionary landing at a golf course about 7 miles from Teterboro. At the end of the landing roll the aircraft was damaged. There were no injuries." The FAA examined the aircraft at the accident site and reported that the left tank was ruptured with no evidence of a fuel spill. The right tank was intact and empty.
The pilot's improper fuel management, which resulted in a power loss due to fuel exhaustion, followed by the airplane striking a tree during a forced landing.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
Aviation Accidents App
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