NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On December 18, 2013, about 1515 Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-32-301 Saratoga, N8169C, experienced a total loss of engine power and made an off-airport landing in Los Angeles, California. Corrales and Associates INC., was the registered owner, and the passenger was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The private pilot and the pilot-rated passenger were not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The local personal flight departed from Whiteman Airport, Los Angeles about 1500. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed.

In telephone conversations and in a written statement, the pilot reported that this was the first flight since the airplane's annual inspection. During the preflight inspection, he noted that the fuel gauges located on the wing tanks indicated each tank contained about 12 gallons of fuel. After performing a run-up inspection, he departed runway 12 and returned, completing a full stop landing. He taxied back to the departure end of the runway and again performed a takeoff with the intention of completing a left traffic pattern and subsequent landing.

As the pilot turned onto the crosswind leg of the traffic pattern, the engine performance decreased for about 5 to 10 seconds and then experienced a total loss of power. As the airplane began to lose altitude, the pilot switched the fuel selector from the right tank to the left fuel tank position. The pilot attempted to restart the engine and maneuvered the airplane to a field in an effort to perform an off-airport, emergency landing. While landing, the airplane's landing gear dug into the soft terrain and the nose landing gear collapsed, damaging the firewall.

The pilot noted that he did not use the airplane's fuel boost pump during his attempted engine restart. The pilot reported that following the accident, he turned the selector to the "off" position.

TESTS AND RESEARCH

Examination of the recovered airframe revealed that the left and right wings were separated to facilitate wreckage transport. Maintenance personnel reported that prior to transporting the wreckage to the storage facility they had removed approximately 10 gallons of fuel from the left fuel tank and about a quart from the right fuel tank. During the wreckage examination both fuel tanks were empty and there was no evidence of a fuel system breach or staining that would indicate fuel leakage.

The airplane was equipped with a Lycoming IO-540-K1GS engine. The engine remained attached to the engine mount assembly and firewall with minimal damage noted. Examination of the engine revealed that the engine case and all six cylinders were intact. The accessory gear case and associated accessories were present and there was no evidence of oil leakage. The propeller, damaged from the accident, was removed from the engine and a "club" propeller was installed on the engine. The gascolator bowl was removed from its attachment point; it contained blue liquid consistent with 100LL fuel. The gascolator screen was clear of debris.

The airplane was secured to a forklift and weighted down. A fuel source was attached to the right inlet fuel line prior to entering the fuel selector. The engine was successfully started and run for over 5 minutes at various power settings from idle to about 2,700 rpm. A magneto check was conducted on the left and right magnetos with a minimal rpm drop on each magneto noted. In addition, the propeller was cycled from low pitch to high pitch to low pitch numerous times with no irregularities noted. The engine was shut down utilizing the mixture control lever. The same test run was performed with the fuel source being plumbed to the left inlet fuel line at the fuel selector, and no anomalies were found.

During the engine run, when the fuel selector handle was changed to either the "off" position or the tank that was not connected to the fuel source, the engine would run for about 15 seconds, and then would have a temporary decline in rpm (about 5 seconds) before completely losing power. Activating the boost pump and switching the selector to the tank with the fuel source, would restore the engine power.

No mechanical anomalies were noted with the recovered engine or airframe that would have precluded normal operation.

NTSB Probable Cause

The total loss of engine power during takeoff due to fuel starvation, which resulted from the pilot’s failure to adequately manage the fuel supply.