Piper PA-31-350 accident near Qioquinton, Virginia, March 7, 1992
On March 7, 1992 at about 12:57 pm local time, a Piper PA-31-350, registered N27613, was substantially damaged in an accident near Qioquinton, Virginia (New Kent CO. airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION BECAUSE OF AN OPEN CROSSFEED FUEL LINE DRAIN VALVE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 7, 1992 · about 12:57 pm local time
- Place
- Qioquinton, Virginia · New Kent CO. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · all PA-31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N27613 · registry record · serial 31-7852088
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT WAS DIVERTING TO HIS NEW DESTINATION WHEN BOTH ENGINES LOST POWER. A GEAR UP LANDING WAS MADE IN A FIELD 3 MILES NE OF THE AIRPORT. WHILE EN ROUTE THE PILOT OBSERVED THERE WAS AN EXCESSIVE FUEL CONSUMPTION FROM THE LEFT TANK, SO HE RECALCULATED THE FUEL HE HAD REMAINING ON BOARD WHICH HE DETERMINED TO BE TWO HOURS. HE PROCEEDED TO HIS DESTINATION AS IT WAS ONLY 50 MINUTES AWAY FROM HIS PRESENT POSITION. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT AND THE FUEL SYSTEM BY THE FAA REVEALED THE CROSSFEED FUEL LINE DRAIN VALVE WAS OPEN. THERE WERE NO OTHER ABNORMALITIES FOUND IN THE SYSTEM.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,004 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 2,895 as pilot in command; 1,788 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,500 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 7,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Eagle Aero INC
The flight
- Departed from: TTN Trenton NJ at 11:24 am
- Destination: RIC Richmond VA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0, 3,600 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,300 ft; scat at 200 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:50 pm from RIC, 10 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.