Accident
On July 16, 2016, at 1517 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-24-260, registration N11MT, was substantially damaged during a forced landing in Westwood, Massachusetts, while on approach to Norwood Memorial Airport (OWD), Norwood, Massachusetts. The private pilot and co-owner of the aircraft was seriously injured, and the passenger was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight, which departed from Knox County Regional Airport (RKD), Rockland, Maine, under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The pilot was not available for interview due to his injuries. He was interviewed by his attorney, who provided a written statement on his behalf.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The four-seat, single-engine, low-wing Piper PA-24-260 was manufactured in 1968 and equipped with a Lycoming IO-540, 310-horsepower engine. The aircraft had a 30-gallon main fuel tank (28 gallons useable) and a 15-gallon auxiliary fuel tank in each wing. The most recent annual inspection was completed on July 28, 2015, at which time the aircraft had accrued 4,239 total aircraft hours.
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. He was issued an FAA third-class medical certificate on April 21, 2016, and reported 4,550 total hours of flight experience on that date.
Fuel Management and Leak
According to the pilot's statement, he planned a round-trip flight from OWD to RKD to attend a fly-in event. He estimated each leg took 1 hour and 20 minutes and consumed 22 gallons of fuel. He assumed he had sufficient fuel with about 5 gallons of reserves for the return flight without switching to the auxiliary tanks. Preflight inspection of the main fuel tanks showed the right wing tank was full, the left wing tank was about 3 gallons down, and both auxiliary tanks were full.
The outbound flight was completed with the fuel selector on the right main tank, and the return flight was completed with the selector on the left main tank. After being cleared for landing at OWD, the engine abruptly lost power, and the pilot conducted a forced landing to wooded terrain.
The co-owner of the airplane reported to his mechanic and later to an FAA inspector that the left main fuel tank leaked. The mechanic stated that one of the owners had requested replacement bladders for both main tanks a few weeks before the accident. The owners mitigated the leak by not filling the left main tank completely.
Wreckage and Engine Examination
Examination of the wreckage revealed substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. Control continuity was confirmed. The left main fuel tank was empty, the right main fuel tank contained about 2 gallons of fuel, and both auxiliary tanks were full. The fuel selector was found between the "Left Main" and "Off" positions. The pilot reported to first responders that he had turned the fuel off prior to their arrival.
Fuel receipts and flight logs showed the airplane was last fueled on July 12, 2016, with the right main and left auxiliary tanks topped off. The airplane had accrued an estimated 2.6 hours of flight time since then. Fueling instructions over the previous month specified servicing only the right main and right auxiliary tanks, or the right main and left auxiliary tanks only.
The engine was removed and tested in a test cell. It started immediately, accelerated smoothly, and ran continuously without interruption at all power settings.
Weather reported at OWD at 1453 included clear skies, wind from 290 degrees at 10 knots gusting to 16 knots, temperature 34°C, dew point 16°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.00 inches of mercury.