NTSB Factual Report

On November 25, 2017, about 1420 eastern standard time, a Piper PA28-140, N57351, was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Odessa, Florida. The private pilot/owner sustained minor injuries. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.

According to the pilot, he departed Tampa Executive Airport (VDF) Tampa, Florida about 1340 for a local flight via the Clearwater Beach area. After reaching that area the pilot turned around to return to VDF. The flight was being conducted on the left fuel tank, at an altitude of about 2,500 feet. After the turnaround, the pilot switched off the electric fuel boost pump. About 5 minutes later, the engine lost power; the pilot reported that the rpm dropped to about 700 and remained at that value. The pilot turned on the electric boost pump, but the engine did not regain power. He then switched to the right fuel tank and manipulated the throttle, but again the power was not restored. The pilot then selected an open field that he deemed suitable for a forced landing. During his approach to the field, the pilot switched the fuel selector back to the left tank, again to no avail.

The field was bounded by two sets of powerlines; the pilot's initial assessment was that he could overfly both sets. As he overflew the first set, he determined that the airplane would not clear the second set, so the pilot then maneuvered the airplane to fly under the second set of powerlines. The right wing of the airplane struck the pole supporting the powerlines, and the airplane came to rest in the field a few hundred feet beyond the struck pole. The pilot shut down the airplane and summoned assistance via telephone.

Post accident examination of the airplane by recovery personnel revealed that the left fuel tank was empty, the right fuel tank was nearly full, and the fuel selector was set to the left tank. The wreckage was recovered to a secure facility for possible additional examination.

The pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single engine land rating. He reported a total flight experience of about 149 hours, of which about 142 hours were in the accident airplane make and model. His pilot certificate was issued in September 2015, and his most recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) third-class medical certificate was issued in January 2017.

FAA information indicated that the airplane was manufactured in 1973, and was equipped with a Lycoming O-320 series engine. According to the pilot, the airplane and engine had accumulated a total time in service of about 4,722 hours, and the engine had accumulated about 638 hours since its most recent overhaul. The most recent annual inspection was completed in June 2017.

The 1853 and 1953 automated weather observations from Tampa International Airport (TPA), located about 12 miles southeast of the accident site, included winds from 250 degrees at 7 knots, visibility 10 miles, few clouds at 4,500 feet, temperature 23 degrees C, dew point about 14 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 29.99 inches of mercury.