Piper PA-24-250 accident near Overland Park, Kansas, April 6, 2004
On April 6, 2004 at about 5:07 am local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N5844P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Overland Park, Kansas. It was a business 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 pilot's inadequate fuel calculations and the pilot's improper in-flight decision which resulted in fuel exhaustion. Contributing factors were the trees and the night conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 6, 2004 · about 5:07 am local time
- Place
- Overland Park, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N5844P · registry record · serial 24-925
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane sustained substantial damage during a forced landing at night after a loss of engine power. The pilot reported that he had flown from IXD to 7W5, a distance of 519 nautical miles, earlier in the day and that the flight had taken 3 hours and 20 minutes to complete. The airplane was topped off with fuel and the fuel receipt indicated that 38.56 gallons were added. The airplane's fuel tanks held 60 gallons total fuel with 54 gallons useable. The pilot reported that he calculated that the airplane used approximately 12 gallons of fuel per hour. The return flight departed at 2020 cdt and the pilot reported that the engine started running rough at 3 hours and 28 minutes into the flight. He switched the fuel boost pump on and switched the fuel selector from the right to left fuel tank. The pilot reported, "At approximately 2 minutes of running on the left tank the engine started running rough and failed." The pilot executed a forced landing to a grassy area adjacent to a well-lighted street. During the landing rollout, the airplane's wing struck a tree branch. The inspection of the fuel tanks revealed the fuel tanks were dry. The passenger reported that the "first tank ran dry roughly 40 miles from our destination…" and "there were two airports only a couple of miles in front of us. I suggested to him that we land and refuel at one of the airports…" The pilot told the passenger there was enough fuel remaining to land at the destination airport. The pilot had a total of 3,605 flight hours with 10 flight hours in make and model. The passenger reported that the GPS indicated that there was a slight right-quartering headwind of 7 - 10 knots, and it showed an average groundspeed of 130 - 135 knots. The airplane impacted the terrain about 0007 cdt, approximately 3.8 hours after departure. The airplane's Owner's Handbook indicated that the fuel consumption at 75% power at 6,000 feet pressure altitude is 14.1 gph.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,605 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 3,283 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 23, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,267 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 15, 2003
- Maximum gross weight: 2,880 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7W5 Napoleon OH at 1:20 am
- Destination: IXD Olathe KS
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 150° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,500 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 am from IXD, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N5844P the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.