NTSB Factual Report

On June 17, 2003, at 2239 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-32-300 Cherokee Six, N685BW, registered to Race City Air LLC and operated by Package Express, collided with trees and power lines and caught fire during a forced landing in Fort Mill, South Carolina. The domestic cargo flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 135 with an instrument flight plan filed. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed. The commercial pilot received minor injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight departed Raleigh Durham International Airport, Raleigh, North Carolina, at 2130 on June 17, 2003.

The pilot departed Ashville, North Carolina, enroute to Wilkes County Airport, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, at approximately 1710. In North Wilkesboro, the pilot fueled the plane, topping off the tanks; about 25 gallons of fuel was added. The pilot then departed Wilkes County Airport around 1815 and arrived at Raleigh-Durham International Airport at 1930. The pilot picked up packages and did not refuel the plane in Raleigh. He then departed for Charlotte, North Carolina at 2130.

The pilot received his weather briefing for this leg of travel from the computer in the FBO at Raleigh. According to the pilot the weather at Raleigh was reported to be 600 overcast. No precipitation was reported or observed. Enroute was reporting to be about the same, with overcast ceilings between 600-1000 feet. Charlotte was reported to have overcast ceilings at 900 feet. The pilot reported that during the flight, it was very smooth instrument weather conditions, "not bumpy", no rain and no turbulence.

Upon arriving in the Charlotte area, the pilot received radar vectors from air traffic control for an ILS approach to runway 36R. After leveling off from a turn during his last vector, he heard a loud "pow" and the engine lost power and quit. Attempts to restart the engine, that included switching the fuel tank selector, were unsuccessful. The pilot aligned the airplane with a road for an emergency landing. During the descent, the airplane struck trees and power lines, then collided with the pavement and caught fire. The pilot escaped through the cargo door, and the cabin area was fire damaged.

Examination on the wreckage revealed the left wing had broken off at the wing root and sustained heavy fire damage at the left main tank position. The left tip tank was not burned. The right wing had evidence of a wire strike at the position of the right main fuel tank but the main tank was not burned. The right tip tank was burned. The right wing had a sawed area that began about 4 inches from the inboard edge of the fuel tank, went chordwise toward the trailing edge about 8-inches, and outboard for about 18-inches before coming forward to the leading edge about 2-inches from the outboard edge of the fuel tank. The edges of the cut area had a pronounced saw tooth pattern. The aft fuselage and tail section sustained some fire and smoke damage but were intact. Examination of the engine revealed it containing six quarts of oil. The throttle was at half travel and the mixture control was at idle cut-off. The engine was turned by moving the attached propeller and compression was noted on all cylinders. The oil pump was noted to be pumping oil as the engine was rotated. The magnetos were fire damaged and could not ;produce an ignition spark.

According to the pilot, the airplane had been airborne for a total 2 hours, 29 minutes on the two legs since refueling at which time the tanks were topped off. A review of fuel usage records for the airplane, the engine consumes approximately 15 gallons of fuel per hour. The Cherokee Six is equipped with two main fuel tanks with a capacity of 25 gallons each, and two auxiliary fuel tanks with a capacity of 17 gallons each.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's mismanagement of the fuel supply, which resulted in fuel starvation and the subsequent loss of engine power.