Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Watertown, Wisconsin 53094
Friday, July 21, 1995 20:45 CDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
AS THE AIRPLANE NEARED ITS DESTINATION THE PILOT SWITCHED FROM THE RIGHT TO LEFT FUEL TANK. ABOUT FIVE MINUTES AFTER SWITCHING FUEL TANKS THE AIRPLANE'S ENGINE EXPERIENCED A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER. DURING ITS FORCED LANDING APPROACH THE AIRPLANE STRUCK ELECTRIC POWERLINES AND THEN COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND. THE ON-SCENE EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED NO FUEL IN ANY OF ITS FUEL TANKS. ABOUT 1/2 OUNCE OF FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE FUEL SUMP. NO FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE CARBURETOR. EXAMINATION OF THE MAIN FUEL TANK BLADDERS REVEALED THE OUTBOARD, TOP, SECTION OF THE LEFT BLADDER WAS FOLDED OVER AND COLLAPSED. THE FUEL GAUGES DID NOT WORK ACCORDING TO THE PILOT. THE FUEL GAUGE SENDING UNITS ARE LOCATED NEXT TO THE WING ROOT. RESEARCH SHOWED THE FUEL SENDING UNITS WOULD READ THE LEFT FUEL TANK VOLUME LEVEL, BASED UPON FUEL LEVEL, NOT ACTUAL QUANITY.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
fuel exhaustion resulting from the improper fuel bladder installation by maintenance personnel. Factors associated with this accident were the collapsed fuel bladder that eliminated about 30 percent of the available fuel in the left tank that the pilot had been relying upon for the flight and operating the airplane with a known equipment deficiency: fuel tank quanity indicators.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 7/21/1995 |
| Event Day of the Week | Friday |
| Time of Event | 2045 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Daylight Time |
| Event City | WATERTOWN |
| Event State | WISCONSIN |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 53094 |
| Event Date Year | 1995 |
| Event Date Month | 7 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 820 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 2059 Central Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 230 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | MSN |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 725 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 20 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | CDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 14000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 24 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 18 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Serious |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 2 |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 657 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jul 22 1995 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 119 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 7 2000 4:24PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N999JS |
| NTSB Number | CHI95LA236 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | PIPER |
| Aircraft Model | PA-24-250 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | PA-24-250 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 24-446 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3800 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | REED SYSTEMS, LTD |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | P.O. BOX 209 EDWARDS PL. |
| Aircraft Owner City | ELLENVILLE |
| Aircraft Owner State | NY |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 12628 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | N89 |
| Departure City | ELLENVILLE |
| Departure State | NY |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 415 |
| Departure Time Zone | CDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | MSN |
| Destination City | MADISON |
| Destination State | WI |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |