Palmer, AK, USA
N2370M
PIPER PA 12
The student pilot reported that he was practicing night, solo takeoffs and landings when the engine lost power. He attempted to restart the engine by applying carburetor heat and switching the fuel selector from the left tank to the right tank, but the engine did not regain power. He did not think that the airplane could reach the runway, so he chose to conduct a forced landing in a golf course adjacent to the airport. During the final approach, the landing gear contacted a power line, and the airplane subsequently impacted terrain. The student pilot further reported that he believed that he inadvertently switched the fuel selector to the "off" position instead of the "right tank" position after the power loss. Examination of the airplane's fuel tanks after the accident revealed that the left wing fuel tank was empty.
On January 31, 2015, about 2040 Alaska standard time, a Piper PA-12 airplane, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing, following a loss of engine power while in the traffic pattern at the Palmer Municipal Airport, Palmer Alaska. The student pilot was not injured. The airplane was registered to a private individual, and operated by the pilot as a night, visual flight rules training flight under the provisions of 14 CFR part 91 when the accident occurred. Night, visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. In a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge, the student pilot stated that he was practicing night, solo takeoff and landings at the Palmer Airport. While turning from the downwind to base leg in the traffic pattern, the engine began to sputter and lose power. He applied carburetor heat and switched fuel tanks, and the engine momentarily regained power, but then lost power a second time. Not thinking that he could make the runway environment, he elected for a forced landing on a golf course adjacent to the airport. During the final approach, the airplane's landing gear contacted a power line, and the airplane impacted terrain, sustaining substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety inspector from the Wasilla Flight Standards District Office revealed that the left wing fuel tank was empty. In a separate interview with the FAA, the student pilot stated that after the engine lost power the first time he thought that he inadvertently switched the fuel selector valve to the "OFF" position instead of the "Right Tank" position. The student pilot did not complete and submit NTSB form 6120.1
The student pilot’s improper fuel management, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inadvertent switching of the fuel selector to the “off” position during the attempted engine restart.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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