History of Flight
On October 16, 2011, at 1538 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N6085W, collided with power lines and impacted a storage shed in a residential area of Guthrie, Oklahoma, following a total loss of engine power. The pilot was fatally injured, one passenger sustained serious injuries, and another passenger received minor injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged.
The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a VFR flight plan had been filed while en route. The flight originated from Gaston’s Resort (K3M0), Lakeview, Arkansas, approximately 1230, and was en route to Guthrie (KGOK).
On October 14, the pilot fueled the airplane to maximum capacity and flew from KGOK to Norman (KOUN), Oklahoma, a straight-line distance of about 44 miles. The pilot's son and grandson boarded, and they departed KOUN around 1245, flying to K3MO, arriving about 1500. They stayed at the resort for two days. No fuel was available at K3MO, so the airplane was not serviced. On the accident day, the brothers switched—one flying and the other driving back to KGOK. The airplane departed K3MO about 1230 and did not land to refuel. An 11-year-old passenger in the back seat reported that the flight was pleasant until they were about 2–3 miles from KGOK, when he heard his grandfather say they were low on fuel. The passenger then fell asleep and was awakened by the crash.
Crew Information
The 62-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating and a third-class medical certificate dated November 1, 2010, with the limitation that he must possess glasses for near and intermediate vision. His last flight review was on March 21, 2011.
The pilot had three logbooks. The third logbook (July 18, 2010, to October 1, 2011) indicated the following flight times: total time 883.8 hours, pilot-in-command 835.0 hours, instruction received 54.5 hours, day 822.6 hours, night 61.2 hours, cross-country 822.6 hours, simulated instruments 6.2 hours, and Piper PA-28-140 185.7 hours.
Aircraft Information
N6085W, a 1964 Piper PA-28-140 (serial number 28-20099), was powered by a Lycoming O-320-E2A engine (150 hp) driving a Sensenich two-blade fixed-pitch propeller. The last annual and 100-hour inspections were performed on April 2, 2011, at a total time of 3,505.14 hours. At that time, the engine had accrued 1,708.7 hours since major overhaul. The tachometer at the accident site read 3,553.1 hours.
Meteorological Information
The following weather observations were recorded by KGOK's AWOS: at 1453—wind 280° at 10 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear sky, temperature 32°C, dew point 11°C, altimeter 29.90 inHg; at 1553—wind 250° at 8 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear, temperature 32°C, dew point 11°C, altimeter 29.89 inHg.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest against a storage shed in a nose-down, right-wing-low attitude. The right wing fuel tank was compromised; the left wing fuel tank was empty. The fuel selector was on the left tank, the electric boost pump was on, the mixture control was rich, the throttle was midrange and bent, and the master and magneto switches were on. The flaps were up, trim was full nose-down, tachometer indicated 100 rpm and 3,553.1 hours, Hobbs meter 792.1, clock stopped at 3:38:29, airspeed 0, heading indicator 150°, altimeter 3,600 feet, artificial horizon 25° left bank, turn coordinator showing a 2x right standard rate turn, Kollsman window 30.30 inHg, and various radio and navigation settings.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy attributed the pilot's death to multiple blunt force injuries. Toxicology tests for ethyl alcohol, carbon monoxide, cyanide, and drugs were negative.
Tests and Research
The airplane was equipped with two 25-gallon fuel tanks (48 gallons useable). Based on the pilot's son's report, the flight duration was approximately 6 hours 13 minutes. According to the Piper PA-28-140 Pilot Operating Manual, fuel consumption at 75%, 65%, and 55% power would be 8.4, 7.3, and 6.2 gallons per hour, with total consumption of 52, 45, and 38 gallons respectively. A Bendix/King AV80R GPS was recovered but had no memory card.