SACRAMENTO, CA, USA
N3004U
Piper PA-28-181
The airplane was airborne for just over 4 hours and nearing the destination airport when the engine sputtered. The pilot switched from the left fuel tank to the right fuel tank, and the engine restarted. The CFI then declared a low fuel state to the TRACON controller. About 8 miles from the airport, the engine sputtered and then quit. The CFI took the controls, attempted an unsuccessful engine restart, and force landed in a field. A sheriff's deputy who responded to the accident site visually checked the fuel tanks and noted that they were both empty. He further indicated no fuel was observed leaking from the airplane, or observed on the ground. The airplane was inspected on-scene. The fuel tanks and all system lines were intact. No fuel was found in lines from the gascolator to the carburetor. The flight instructor said in his written statement that the fuel burn was according to his preflight calculations.
On August 16, 1999, at 2024 hours Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-28-181, N3004U, made a forced landing in a tomato field 1 mile north of Sacramento International Airport, Sacramento, California, following a loss of engine power. The pilot had reported a low fuel indication to the Sacramento TRACON minutes before the loss of power occurred. The airplane, operated by the Long Beach Flying Club under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 as an instructional flight, sustained substantial damage. The certified flight instructor (CFI) and the student pilot received minor injuries. A nonrated passenger was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions existed for the cross-country instructional flight that departed the Portland International Airport, Portland, Oregon, at 1615 the day of the accident. No flight plan was filed. The student pilot was interviewed by a responding Sacramento County Sheriff's deputy. He told the deputy that approximately 8 miles north of the airport the engine sputtered and the instructor took the controls. They reported to Sacramento TRACON that they had a fuel emergency, and the instructor subsequently made an emergency landing in an open field. The instructor was interviewed by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector. He stated that about 30 miles from the airport the engine sputtered with approximately 5-6 gallons of fuel indicated as remaining in the left tank. He switched the fuel selector to the right tank and noted that the gage said it had approximately 15 gallons. The CFI stated that 10 miles from the airport the engine sputtered and quit and he landed in the field. In the CFI's written statement to the Safety Board, he reported that their altitude was 2,000 feet mean sea level (msl) and they were a couple of miles from the accident airport. He stated that he declared an emergency with Sacramento TRACON, and went through the emergency procedures, which included an unsuccessful engine restart attempt. He further indicated that the airplane was descending about 900 feet per minute and he added partial flaps on the final approach. The CFI stated that there were no discrepancies noted with the airplane during the cross-country flight, and the fuel burn was what he had calculated it at during preflight planning. Transcripts of air-to-ground communications were obtained from the FAA air traffic facilities that handled the airplane during the flight from Portland to the accident site in order to establish the complete and accurate time line of the flight. Transcripts from Seattle ARTCC established that at 1626, the accident airplane first checked in with the sector controller after departing Portland airport stating he was level at 5,500 feet. At 1644, he received an updated altimeter setting and was instructed to contact Cascade Approach. At 1713, he was handed off to Seattle ARTCC, Sector 36, and stated he was level at 5,500 feet. He was also provided with Roseburg (Oregon) altimeter setting. At 1723, he cancelled flight following stating that he was going to "do some work in the Roseburg area." At 1756, he contacted Seattle ARTCC, Sector 36, and was handed off to Cascade Approach - Medford Sector; he reported that his altitude was 7,500 feet. At 1802, he requested and received permission to climb to 9,500 feet. At 1822, he was handed off from Cascade Approach to Seattle ARTCC, and when he checked in he stated that he was level at 9,500 feet. At 1848, he was instructed to contact Oakland Center. At 1850, the pilot made initial contact with Oakland ARTCC and reported that he was level at 6,500 feet. At 1931, he was issued traffic and the altimeter setting for Red Bluff (California). He flew until 2000 without further incident or comment and was instructed to contact Sacramento TRACON. The controller from Oakland Center did not receive a read back response from the pilot, made a blind transmission, and at 2003 called Sacramento TRACON to verify that the pilot had switched to their frequency. The controller for Sacramento TRACON verified that the pilot was on his frequency. According to the transcripts from Sacramento TRACON, at 2000 the pilot made his initial call and checked in with the controller. At 2011, the controller queried the pilot as to his intended landing airport. The pilot advised that he wanted to land at the Sacramento International Airport and was unfamiliar with the area and the airport. At 2012, he was instructed to contact approach on another frequency. Six minutes elapsed without contact from the pilot, then at 2019:14 the pilot contacted the controller and stated that he was "running out of fuel." The controller asked the pilot if he had the runway in sight and the pilot acknowledged that he had the runway in sight. At 2019:34, the pilot declared an emergency. At 2022, the Sacramento ARTCC controller contacted the local controller to find out if the pilot made it to the runway. The local controller informed him that the airplane was observed going down behind some the trees. A responding Sacramento County Sheriff's deputy examined the airplane shortly after he arrived at the scene to investigate the downed airplane. He stated that both the left and right wing fuel tanks were "completely dry." He further reported that there was no fuel leaking from the airplane, and there was no fuel on the ground. The airplane was inspected on-scene August 18, 1999, at 1300 by a Safety Board investigator. The inspection revealed that there was no fuel in the engine return line or the fuel lines from the engine driven fuel pump and gascolator to the carburetor. The fuel tanks were not ruptured and the fuel system lines from the tanks to the carburetor were intact. Based on statements from the CFI, the Fixed Base Operator where the airplane was last fueled were contacted to verify the flight's fueling history. The airplane was fueled on August 16, 1999, at 1212, with 26 gallons of fuel at Signature Flight Support, Seattle-Tacoma Airport, Seattle, Washington. The fueling order slip noted that the tanks were to be filled to the tabs (20 gallons in each tank, 40 gallons total). At 1536, the airplane was refueled with 15 gallons at Flightcraft at the Portland International Airport. The fueling slip did not reference any particular instructions regarding amounts to be loaded in each tank. According to Textron-Lycoming Operator's Manual for the O-360-A series engine, the specific fuel consumption performance cruise charts for 75 percent rated power list a rate of 10.5 gallons per hour (gph), while the rate for economy cruise of 65 percent rated power is 9.0 gph. According to the Piper Aircraft Pilot's Information Manual for the airplane, the fuel consumption rate listed in the Performance Section at best power is 10.5 gph, while 8.8 gph is shown at best economy. Attempts were made to obtain additional information from the owner/operator of the airplane; however, the owner/operator did not return NTSB form 6120.1/2.
Fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's failure to ensure that sufficient fuel was on board to complete the flight, and, the flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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