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PA-28 instructor pilot reported safely landing in a parking lot following engine failure related to a fuel issue.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1734119 |
| Time | |
| Date | 202003 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801-2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.TRACON |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | PA-28 Cherokee/Archer/Dakota/Pillan/Warrior |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 91 |
| Flight Phase | Cruise |
| Route In Use | Direct |
| Flight Plan | VFR |
| Component | |
| Aircraft Component | Engine |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Pilot Not Flying Instructor |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Multiengine Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Flight Instructor Flight Crew Commercial |
| Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 50 Flight Crew Total 850 Flight Crew Type 800 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Inflight Event / Encounter Fuel Issue |
Narrative:
We transitioned back to our home airport via a transition through class C. A couple minutes after; [tower] transitioned us to approach for flight following we switched our fuel tanks. We followed procedures and switched tanks by turning on the fuel pump; checking fuel pressure; switching the fuel selector; checking pressure; then turning the pump off.a few seconds after the pump was switched off we had an immediate loss of power. Tried to remedy by reversing the process; pump on; switch tanks while pitching for best glide. No restart and engine continued to lose all power. Tried a flow and checked anything that may lead to a fuel starvation issue. In the pitch black I found a well lighted area that was relatively free of ground traffic. It was a warehouse trucking lot. Was able to maneuver the aircraft between stacked shipping containers as to not hit them. Cleared the wing by 5-10 ft. And performed a normal landing. Came to a stop and contacted approach to let them know I was safe. No damage to the aircraft; no souls were harmed. [Notified ATC of the problem] roughly 1;000 ft. AGL. Cause is yet to be found; but I suspect something in the fuel line or contaminants in the fuel that reached the carburetor.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: PA-28 Instructor Pilot reported safely landing in a parking lot following engine failure related to a fuel issue.
Narrative: We transitioned back to our home airport via a transition through Class C. A couple minutes after; [Tower] transitioned us to Approach for flight following we switched our fuel tanks. We followed procedures and switched tanks by turning on the fuel pump; checking fuel pressure; switching the fuel selector; checking pressure; then turning the pump off.A few seconds after the pump was switched off we had an immediate loss of power. Tried to remedy by reversing the process; pump on; switch tanks while pitching for best glide. No restart and engine continued to lose all power. Tried a flow and checked anything that may lead to a fuel starvation issue. In the pitch black I found a well lighted area that was relatively free of ground traffic. It was a warehouse trucking lot. Was able to maneuver the aircraft between stacked shipping containers as to not hit them. Cleared the wing by 5-10 ft. and performed a normal landing. Came to a stop and contacted Approach to let them know I was safe. No damage to the aircraft; no souls were harmed. [Notified ATC of the problem] roughly 1;000 ft. AGL. Cause is yet to be found; but I suspect something in the fuel line or contaminants in the fuel that reached the carburetor.
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.