Piper PA28 accident near Port Jefferson, NY
On February 21, 2016, a Piper PA28 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Port Jefferson, NY. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- February 21, 2016
- Place
- Port Jefferson, NY
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 3 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 40.961°N, 73.084°W
- NTSB ID
- 20160221X82226
Official records · ERA16LA109
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn February 20, 2016, at 2305 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-28-181, N29099, was substantially damaged during a ditching in Setauket Harbor about 1.5 nautical miles northwest of Port Jefferson, New York. The flight instructor, student, and one passenger received minor injuries, and one passenger was fatally injured. The airplane was owned and operated by Positive Rate Gear Up, LLC, as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 instructional flight. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed Fitchburg Municipal Airport (FIT), Fitchburg, Massachusetts, about 2040 and was destined for Republic Airport (FRG), Farmingdale, New York. According to the flight instructor, the first leg of the instructional flight departed FRG about 1430; he believed that about 40 gallons of fuel was onboard before departing from FRG. According to the student pilot, the pilot of the previous flight told him that the left-wing fuel tank was full, and the right-wing fuel tank was half full (about 36 gallons total). The student stated that he asked the flight instructor if he wanted to refuel, and the flight instructor advised him that they had plenty of fuel. After takeoff from FRG, they flew to FIT at 2,000 to 2,500 feet above mean sea level (msl). The airplane encountered a strong tailwind and arrived in about 45 minutes. They spent some time in the Fitchburg area, then returned to FIT for the return flight. After takeoff, they departed the airport traffic area to the southwest on a direct heading for FRG and climb
Probable cause
The flight instructor's inadequate preflight fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
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Browse: New York · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
