Piper PA-28-180 accident near Dell City, Texas, May 18, 2024
On May 18, 2024 at about 4:28 pm local time, a 1972 Piper PA-28-180, registered N11NT, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Dell City, 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 pilot’s failure to switch fuel tanks while en route which resulted in the 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
- May 18, 2024 · about 4:28 pm local time
- Place
- Dell City, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180, built 1972 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N11NT · registry record · serial 28-7205193
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that on a cross country flight, the engine lost power. He turned on the fuel pump and attempted to restart the engine several times; however, the engine would not restart, so he landed the airplane in a field. During the rollout, the left tire impacted a barbed wire fence, the left landing gear separated from the airplane, and the left wing to drug along the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the bottom of the left wing. The pilot stated that he was switching fuel tanks every hour, but he became distracted when the airplane crossed a mountain range and he did not switch the fuel tanks. The engine lost power due to fuel starvation. The pilot reported there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions 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 defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,600 hours in all; 11 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 101 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 1, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,266.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 10, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 60 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7T7 Midland TX at 3:09 pm
- Destination: KELP El Paso TX
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 9:51 am from KELP, 60 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KELP 181551Z 14005KT 10SM FEW110 28/M02 A3004 RMK AO2 SLP093 T02781022,M
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on August 30, 2024. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N11NT the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 CEN24LA191.