14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, October 16, 2011 in Guthrie, OK
Probable Cause Approval Date: 06/14/2012
Aircraft: PIPER PA-28-140, registration: N6085W
Injuries: 1 Fatal,1 Serious,1 Minor.
NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The airplane was fueled to capacity and flew for 3 hours and 15 minutes to its destination, where it was not refueled. Two days later, the airplane flew for 3 additional hours. During that flight, a passenger said that he heard the pilot say that they were low on fuel. Shortly thereafter, the engine lost power and the airplane collided with power lines and impacted a storage shed in a residential area. The airplane was equipped with two 25-gallon fuel tanks (50 gallons total, of which 48 gallons were useable). The airplane had been aloft for about 6 hours, 13 minutes. Depending on the power setting, the airplane would have burned between 38 and 52 gallons for the two flights.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:The pilot’s inadequate fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On October 16, 2011, at 1538 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N6085W, collided with power lines and impacted a storage shed in a residential area of Guthrie, Oklahoma, following a total loss of engine power. The pilot was fatally injured. One passenger sustained serious injuries, and another passenger received minor injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed at the time of the accident, and a VFR (Visual Flight Rules) flight plan had been filed by the pilot while en route. The flight originated from Gaston’s Resort (K3M0), Lakeview, Arkansas, approximately 1230, and was en route to Guthrie (KGOK).
On Friday, October 14, the pilot fueled the airplane to maximum fuel capacity and flew from KGOK to Norman (KOUN), Oklahoma, a straight-line distance of about 44 miles. The pilot's son and grandson boarded the airplane. They departed KOUN approximately 1245, and flew to K3MO, a fishing resort, arriving there about 1500. The pilot's other son drove to K3MO, and they stayed at the resort for two days.
Because there was no fuel at K3MO, the airplane was not serviced. On the day of the accident, the brothers switched -- one flying and the other driving back to KGOK. The airplane departed K3MO about 1230 and did not land at any airport to refuel. The 11-year-old passenger, who was in the back seat, said the flight was pleasant until they were about 2 or 3 miles from KGOK and he heard his grandfather say they were low on fuel. The grandson fell asleep and was awakened by the crash.
PERSONNEL (CREW) INFORMATION
The 62-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. He also held a third class airman medical certificate, dated November 1, 2010, with the limitation, "Holder shall possess glasses for near and intermediate vision." His last flight review was dated March 21, 2011.
The pilot had three logbooks: the first logbook contained entries from June 25, 1985 to August 30, 1989; the second logbook contained entries from September 23, 1989 to July 4, 2010, and the third logbook contained entries from July 18, 2010, to October 1, 2011 The third logbook indicated the pilot had accrued the following flight times (in hours):
Total time, 883.8
Pilot-in-command, 835.0
Instruction received, 54.5
Day, 822.6
Night, 61.2
Cross-country, 822.6
Simulated instruments, 6.2
Piper PA-28-140, 185.7
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
N6085W, a model PA-28-140 (serial number 28-20099), was manufactured by the Piper Aircraft Corporation in 1964. It was powered by a Lycoming O-320-E2A engine (serial number L-14053-27), rated at 150 horsepower, driving a Sensenich 2-blade, all-metal, fixed-pitch propeller (model number 74DM6-0-60).
According to the airplane maintenance records, the last annual and 100-hour inspections were performed on April 2, 2011, at a total time of 3,505.14 hours. At that time, the engine had accrued 1,708.7 hours since major overhaul. At the accident site, the tachometer read 3,553.1 hours.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
The following weather observations were recorded by Guthrie Municipal Airport’s (KGOK) AWOS (Automated Weather Observation System)) at 1453 and 1553, respectively:
Wind, 280 degrees at 10 knots; visibility, 10 miles; sky condition, clear; temperature, 32 degrees C.; dew point 11 degrees C; altimeter, 29.90 inches of Mercury.
Wind, 250 degrees at 8 knots; visibility, 10 miles; sky condition, clear; temperature 32 degrees C.; dew point, 11 degrees C.; altimeter, 29.89 inches of Mercury.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The airplane was found resting against a storage shed in a nose-down, right wing low attitude. The right wing fuel tank was compromised; the left wing fuel tank was empty. The fuel selector was on the left tank, and the electric boost pump was on. The mixture control was rich, and the throttle was midrange and bent. The master and magneto switches were on.
The following is a partial list of observed switch and control positions and instrument settings:
Flaps – Up
Trim – Full nose down
Tachometer – 100 rpm
- 3,553.1
Hobbs meter – 792.1
Clock – 3:38:29 (stopped)Airspeed - 0
Heading indicator – 150 degrees
Altimeter – 3,600 feet
Artificial Horizon – 25 degree left bank
Turn Coordinator – 2x right standard rate turn
Kollsman window – 30.30 in. Hg.
Comm #1 – Digital
Nav #1 - Digital
#1 OBS – 278 degrees
Comm #2 – Between 122.5 and 122.7 MHz (on)
Nav #2 – 114.5 MHz
#2 OBS – 251 degrees
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
An autopsy on the pilot (#1104209) was performed by Oklahoma’s Office of the Chief Medical Investigator. Death was attributed to “multiple blunt force injuries.”
Toxicology protocols were conducted by both the Federal Aviation Administration’s Civil Aerospace Medical Institute and Oklahoma’s Office of the Chief Medical Investigator. Both reports showed negative results for ethyl alcohol, carbon monoxide, cyanide, and drugs.
TESTS AND RESEARCH
The airplane was equipped with two 25-gallon fuel tanks (50 gallons total, of which 48 gallons were useable). Based on the pilot’s son’s report, the airplane had been aloft for approximately 6 hours, 13 minutes. According to the Piper PA-28-140 “Pilot Operating Manual,” fuel consumption would be 8.4 gallons per hour (gph), 7.3 gph, and 6.2 gph at 75, 65, and 55 per cent power, respectively, and total fuel consumption would have been 52, 45, and 38 gallons, respectively.
A Bendix/King AV80R GPS (Global Positioning System) was recovered at the accident site and sent to NTSB’s Vehicle Recorder Laboratory for examination. According to the engineer’s report, the device did not contain a memory card.
NTSB Identification: CEN12FA021
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, October 16, 2011 in Guthrie, OK
Aircraft: Piper PA-28-140, registration: N6085W
Injuries: 1 Fatal,1 Serious,1 Minor.
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, October 16, 2011 in Guthrie, OK
Aircraft: Piper PA-28-140, registration: N6085W
Injuries: 1 Fatal,1 Serious,1 Minor.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain
errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final
report has been completed.
On October 16, 2011, at 1538 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N6085W, collided with power lines, and impacted a storage shed in a residential area of Guthrie, Oklahoma. The pilot was fatally injured. One passenger sustained serious injuries, and another passenger received minor injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed at the time of the accident, and a VFR (visual flight rules) flight plan was air-filed. The flight originated from Gastons (3M0), Lakeview, Arkansas, approximately 1230.
The 11-year-old passenger, who was found in the back seat, reportedly told first responders that his grandfather (the pilot) had "run out of gas." The on-scene investigation revealed a compromised right fuel tank. The left fuel tank was empty. The fuel selector was on the left tank and the boost pump was on.
Guthrie EMS and Logan County officials were called out to Highway 105 and Bogey Drive shortly after 3:30 p.m. when Lahonda Ball called 911 after stepping outside to see that a plane, a single-engine, four-seat Piper PA28, had crashed on Jerry and Lahonda Ball’s shed.
No one on the ground was injured.
Three people were on board, including an 11-year-old boy. Paramedics were able to get the child out first and at the time believed had only suffered a cut above his right eye. He was later released around mindnight.
The next to be pulled from the plane was a male, Darrell Stewart Smittle, 41, who was said to have suffered broken legs. He was medi-flighted to OU Medical Center where he remains in critical condition. The third member of the plane, Darrell Allen Smittle, 62, was pronounced dead on the scene. The child told Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers he was with his uncle (passenger) and grandfather (pilot).
The plane was registered to the elder Smittle, an Edmond resident.
The 11-year-old boy, Joshua Smittle, also told troopers they were returning from a fishing trip in Arkansas and before the crash his grandfather said they were needing to get some gas.
Jerry Ball and other witnesses told Guthrie News Page that never did hear an engine sound, but only saw a shadow before hearing what they thought was a (electrical) transformer blowing. The plane appeared to be traveling north to south, but after the crash the plane faced north.
Jerry, along with neighbors and friends, tried to get to the three passengers. Paramedics were forced to cut the plane to get to the three members of the plane.
Power lines and a power pole were hit before the plane came down to the ground. OG&E was quickly called out to the scene for the fallen lines as several customers went without power. Power was restored early Monday morning.
The National Transportation Safey Board investigators were notified and were en route to the scene to determine what had gone wrong.
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GUTHRIE, Oklahoma -- A preliminary report on a plane crash at Guthrie that killed the pilot and injured two passengers says the plane's fuel tank was empty. The report by the National Transportation Safety Board says the plane's right fuel tank was not operable and the left tank was empty.
The report says the aircraft's fuel selector was set on the empty left tank.
The crash Sunday afternoon in a residential area of Guthrie killed 62-year-old pilot Darrell Allen Smittle of Edmond and injured 41-year-old Darrell Stewart Smittle of Edmond and 11-year-old Joshua Smittle of Norman.
Joshua Smittle told state troopers at the scene that Darrell Allen Smittle was his grandfather and had said the plane had run out gas.
