Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Greenwood Municipal Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Indianapolis, Indiana 46201
Friday, June 9, 2000 13:15 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
During cruise flight, 10-miles from the destination airport, the engine quit. The pilot was able to restart the engine after selecting the other fuel tank. The engine experienced two subsequent power losses before the engine was unable to be restarted. The final engine failure was experienced 2-miles from the destination airport. The pilot stated that he executed a forced landing, but was unable to reach runway 19 and impacted the airport perimeter fence during the approach. The proposed flight was to depart Greenwood Municipal Airport (HFY), Greenwood, Indiana, fly to Waukegan Regional Airport (UGN), Waukegan, Illinois, and return to HFY. The pilot reported that he had planned on burning 10-gallons per hour, from which he calculated an endurance of 4-hours 48-minutes. The total duration of the trip, as recorded by the pilot's global positioning system unit, was 3-hours 52-minutes. The aircraft's HOBBS meter indicated that 3.9-hours had elapsed from the initial departure from HFY. The pilot indicated that his engine cruise setting was 2,350 rpm and that he had leaned the mixture when at cruising altitude. According to the Pilot Operating Handbook (POH), appropriate for the serial number of the accident aircraft, the fuel flow was listed as 9.5 gallons/hour for a power setting of 65-percent of maximum power. The POH lists the maximum useable fuel capacity as 48-gallons. Utilizing 48-gallons of useable fuel and a flight time of 3.9-hours results in a calculated fuel flow of approximately 12.307 gallons/hour. Post-accident investigation failed to find any fuel in the fuel strainer bowl, fuel line leading to the carburetor, or fuel filter located on the electric fuel pump. The pilot reported that he first experienced engine power interruptions approximately 10-miles north of the destination airport. There was an airport, Post-Air Airport (7L8), Indianapolis, Indiana, located 028.4 degrees-magnetic from the destination airport at a distance of 8.1-nautical miles.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The improper in-flight decision of the pilot not to land at the nearest airport at the first loss of engine power. Factors to the accident were fuel exhaustion, the excessive fuel flow, and the airport perimeter fence.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 6/9/2000 |
| Event Day of the Week | Friday |
| Time of Event | 1315 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | INDIANAPOLIS |
| Event State | INDIANA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 46201 |
| Event Date Year | 2000 |
| Event Date Month | 6 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | -- |
| Event Location Longitude | -- |
| Event Location Airport | GREENWOOD MUNICIPAL |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | HFY |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 822 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1300 Eastern Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 303 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | IND |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 797 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 10 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 9 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 83 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 62 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 200 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 13 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 2406 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 1 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 10635 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jun 10 2000 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1421 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Oct 9 2001 3:21PM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\MONR |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N4142F |
| NTSB Number | CHI00LA156 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Piper |
| Aircraft Model | PA-28-181 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | PA-28-181 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 2843154 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2550 |
| 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 | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | ELIZABETH ROBINSON |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 3516 FREDRICKSBURG DR |
| Aircraft Owner City | INDIANAPOLIS |
| Aircraft Owner State | IN |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 46227 |
| 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 | UGN |
| Departure City | WAUKEGAN |
| Departure State | IL |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1130 |
| Departure Time Zone | CDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | HFY |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Sep 22 2001 4:00AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 19 |
| Runway Length | 4300 |
| Runway Width | 75 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |