Piper PA-24-250 accident near Wilkesboro, North Carolina, June 20, 2006
On June 20, 2006 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N5626P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wilkesboro, North Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper fuel consumption calculations and improper in-flight planning/decision which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, a forced landing, and collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 20, 2006 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Wilkesboro, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N5626P · no longer on the register · serial 24-696
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to witnesses at the Kissimmee Gateway Airport in Kissimmee, Florida, the pilot departed for Sandusky, Ohio, with a planned refueling stop in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. The pilot topped off the fuel tanks before departing Kissimmee at 0830. While en route, the pilot reported to the Jacksonville Center, that he had a vacuum pump malfunction and elected to return to Kissimmee, and landed there at 0945. A mechanic removed and replaced the vacuum pump and the pilot departed again to continue his original trip at 1230. There was no record of the pilot adding fuel after he returned to Kissimmee. The flight proceeded uneventfully at 9,500 feet until 1555, when the pilot made a distress call saying he was out of fuel and descending. According to the FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet (TCDS) for the Piper PA-24-250, the airplane's total fuel capacity is 60 gallons, or 30 gallons in each wing tank with 4 gallons being unusable. According to witnesses the pilot topped the airplane off with fuel prior to his first flight on the day of the accident. The aircraft flew 1 hour and 15 minutes on its first leg, and 3 hours and 25 minutes on its second leg, for a total flight time of 4 hours and 40 minutes. According to the Piper Comanche Owner's Handbook Power Setting Table - Lycoming Model O-540-A, 250 HP Engine, at 75 percent of the engine's rated horse power the fuel consumption would be approximately 14.0 gallons of fuel per hour.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 285 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,347 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2005; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ISM Kissimmee FL at 4:30 pm
- Destination: UKF Wilkesboro NC
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 12 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,500 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from HKY, 29 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.