AUGUSTA, ME, USA
N32925
PIPER PA-28-140
THE PILOT DID A MISSED APPROACH AT HIS PLANNED DESTINATION DUE TO WEATHER AND FLEW TO THE ALTERNATE AIRPORT WHERE THE ENGINE LOST POWER IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN. ACCORDING TO THE THE PILOT, HE WAS IN A LEFT PATTERN FOR RUNWAY 17 WHEN HE NOTICED HE WAS TOO LOW DURING THE FINAL LEG. HE ADVANCED THE THROTTLE, BUT THE ENGINE DID NOT RESPOND. HE DID A FORCED LANDING, DURING WHICH THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH AN EMBANKMENT, AND CAME TO REST 250 FEET SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED 20 TO 22 GALLONS OF FUEL IN THE RIGHT TANK, THE LEFT TANK HAD LESS THAN A GALLON. THE FUEL SELECTOR SWITCH WAS POSITIONED FOR THE LEFT TANK.
On July 24, 1994, at 2050 eastern daylight time, N32925, a Piper PA-28-140 airplane, a personal flight, lost engine power and forced landed during approach to Augusta State Airport, Augusta, Maine. Visual meteorological conditions existed and the airplane was on an instrument flight plan. The instrument-rated private pilot received minor injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged. The departure point was Provincetown, Massachusetts. The flight was operated under 14 CFR Part 91. According to the FAA, the pilot was on a return flight to Wiscassett, Maine where he refueled the airplane earlier in the day. He did a missed approach at Wiscassett due to weather conditions and then he diverted the flight to Augusta, as an alternate destination. The pilot entered a left traffic pattern for runway 17 at Augusta, and during the final leg, he noticed that he was low on the approach. He advanced the throttle, but the engine did not respond. The pilot did a forced landing, during which the airplane collided with an embankment. The airplane came to rest about 50 feet below the airport elevation and about 250 feet short of the runway. Examination of the airplane revealed the right fuel tank had about 20 to 22 gallons of fuel. The left fuel tank had less than a gallon. The fuel selector was positioned for the left tank.
The improper positioning of the fuel selector because of inadequate inflight decision/planning which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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