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PA24 pilot experiences engine failure at 400 feet AGL and lands on the runway remaining; resulting in a runway excursion and damage to the wing and left landing gear. Fuel exhaustion was thought to be the cause as the left main tank was dry.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1204632 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201409 |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601-1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | PA-24 Comanche |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Takeoff |
| Route In Use | Direct |
| Flight Plan | None |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Fuel Selector |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Single Pilot |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Private Flight Crew Instrument |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 7 Flight Crew Total 504 Flight Crew Type 335 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue |
Narrative:
Flying [third] flight of the day. All three run-ups of the day had been normal. Lost power on takeoff from runway at ~400ft AGL and could not reestablish it. Landed straight ahead and landed hard on runway surface and departed runway to left and beyond the runway end in the sagebrush and soft soil. Prop was still wind-milling. Pilot and passenger were unharmed. I shut down the engine with mixture; turned off the master switch; fuel pump. Turned the fuel selector to off; closed the throttle; then exited the plane. The left main landing gear was damaged with the skin above it punctured by it. The prop appeared to be fine; indicating no prop strike. No obvious damage to the rest of the plane based on cursory exterior looks. No one was harmed. It appears that the left main tank was run dry on this take-off run; based on looking in the fuel tank after the plane was secured at the airport. There was plenty of fuel in the remaining tanks. I knew this tank was lower than the rest and thought I was on the right main on this takeoff. Since I turned the selector to off just after landing before exiting the plane; I can't recall definitively whether the fuel was on the left or right main. This incident is not an accident within the meaning of the NTSB definition.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: PA24 pilot experiences engine failure at 400 feet AGL and lands on the runway remaining; resulting in a runway excursion and damage to the wing and left landing gear. Fuel exhaustion was thought to be the cause as the left main tank was dry.
Narrative: Flying [third] flight of the day. All three run-ups of the day had been normal. Lost power on takeoff from runway at ~400ft AGL and could not reestablish it. Landed straight ahead and landed hard on runway surface and departed runway to left and beyond the runway end in the sagebrush and soft soil. Prop was still wind-milling. Pilot and passenger were unharmed. I shut down the engine with mixture; turned off the master switch; fuel pump. Turned the fuel selector to off; closed the throttle; then exited the plane. The left main landing gear was damaged with the skin above it punctured by it. The prop appeared to be fine; indicating no prop strike. No obvious damage to the rest of the plane based on cursory exterior looks. No one was harmed. It appears that the left main tank was run dry on this take-off run; based on looking in the fuel tank after the plane was secured at the airport. There was plenty of fuel in the remaining tanks. I knew this tank was lower than the rest and thought I was on the right main on this takeoff. Since I turned the selector to off just after landing before exiting the plane; I can't recall definitively whether the fuel was on the left or right main. This incident is not an accident within the meaning of the NTSB definition.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.