Piper PA32 accident near Lafayette, Colorado, June 11, 2021
On June 11, 2021 at about 1:10 am local time, a 1966 Piper PA32, registered N3793W, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Lafayette, Colorado. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight crew’s improper fuel management that resulted in fuel starvation and the loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 11, 2021 · about 1:10 am local time
- Place
- Lafayette, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA32 260, built 1966 · all PA32s on the register
- Registration
- N3793W · registry record · serial 32-720
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The purpose of the instructional flight was for the pilot to receive a checkout in the airplane. Before the flight, the right wing main fuel tank contained 16-18 gallons of fuel, the left wing main fuel tank contained less than 10 gallons of fuel, and both wingtip tanks were completely full (17 gallons each). The pilot and his flight instructor discussed the fuel status before departure and had agreed to operate the engine on the right wing main tank to correct the fuel imbalance between the tanks during the flight. The flight consisted of visual flight rules maneuvers and touch-and-go landings, and about 1.1 hour into the flight the airplane had a loss of engine power about 1,000 ft above the ground while in cruise flight. A forced landing was completed to a nearby field, but shortly after touchdown the airplane collided with a berm that caused the airplane to become airborne again. The nose landing gear collapsed and both wings were substantially damaged when the airplane landed hard the second time. The pilot and his flight instructor both reported that the entire flight had been flown using fuel from the right wing main fuel tank. Neither the pilot nor his flight instructor switched fuel tanks after the loss of engine power because they were focused on the forced landing. The pilot stated that based on the airplane’s performance data, the loss of engine power was likely due to fuel starvation. An onsite examination of the wreckage revealed that the right wing main fuel tank was intact and contained less than ¼ gallon of fuel. According to the airplane’s owner’s handbook, there was about 1 pint of unusable fuel in each of the 4 fuel tanks. The remaining 3 fuel tanks contained usable fuel. Additionally, there were no mechanical malfunctions identified with the airplane’s fuel system or the engine that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Fuel starvation during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during enroute (cruise)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Flight crew
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,216.1 hours in all; 1.8 in this make and model; 145.6 in the last 90 days; 55.8 in the last 30 days; 1,127 as pilot in command; 928.4 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 30, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 309 hours in all; 1.1 in this make and model; 55.6 in the last 90 days; 22.9 in the last 30 days; 240.9 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 11, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,420.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 4, 2020; 57.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BJC Broomfield CO
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 112 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.81 inHg
- Observation at 7:10 pm from KBJC, 8 miles away
Weather report (METAR): SPECI KBJC 110110Z 320112G18KT 10SM SCT150 32/10 A2981
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
11 documents, released by the NTSB on November 4, 2021. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | NTSB Memorandum of Conversation (Khaled Allen) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | NTSB Memorandum of Conversation (Jordan Zeller) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | FAA Record of Conversation (Khaled Allen) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | FAA Record of Conversation (Jordan Zeller) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Memorandum of Conversation (Nelson Wolfmeier) - Onsite Examination | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Memorandum of Conversation (Nelson Wolfmeier) - Follow-up Examination | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Piper PA-32-260 Owner Handbook (Excerpts) | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Email Concerning Fuel System | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 10 | Logbooks (Excerpts) | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 11 | Photos | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.