Piper PA-28-140 accident near Wayside, Texas, February 9, 2024
On February 9, 2024 at about 3:05 am local time, a 1966 Piper PA-28-140, registered N7586R, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Wayside, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s improper fuel management during the cross-country flight, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 9, 2024 · about 3:05 am local time
- Place
- Wayside, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140, built 1966 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N7586R · registry record · serial 28-22153
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was conducting a solo cross-country flight when the airplane had a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. The pilot reported that he switched fuel tanks but was unable to restore engine power before an off-airport forced landing was made in an open field. The airplane’s left wing sustained substantial damage when it struck a metal fence post during the forced landing. According to the student pilot and fueling documentation, the airplane departed on the cross-country flight with a full fuel load (50 gallons) evenly distributed between the wing fuel tanks. The student pilot stated that he switched fuel tanks every 30 minutes during the estimated 2.4 hour flight. However, after the accident, the right fuel tank was found void of usable fuel, and the left fuel tank remained full. A postaccident operational engine test run did not reveal any mechanical anomalies with the engine. It is likely that the student pilot (who did not have a flight instructor endorsement for the solo cross-country flight) mismanaged the fuel during the flight which resulted in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power.
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 landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring equip/instruments › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 43.1 hours in all; 37.8 in this make and model; 14.6 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 21, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,922 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 15, 2023; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 3,911 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DUC Duncan OK
- Destination: HRX Hereford TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from HRX, 32 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KHRX 090255Z AUTO 24007KT 10SM CLR 07/M07 A2989 RMK AO2 T00731073 TSNO=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on February 11, 2025. 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 Record of Conversation (Student Pilot) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | NTSB Record of Conversation (FAA Inspector Jason Wilson) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Fueling Documentation | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Airplane Maintenance Logbooks (Excerpts) | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Investigation Photographs | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN24LA114.