Piper PA-28-180 accident near Lindsborg, Kansas, March 2, 1994
On March 2, 1994 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N3592R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lindsborg, Kansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
was the pilot-in-command's failure to refuel the airplane during the flight. Factors were fuel exhaustion, the sign, and the pilot-in-command's lack of total experience in type of airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 2, 1994 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Lindsborg, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N3592R · registry record · serial 28-5705
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS IN CRUISE FLIGHT WHEN THE ENGINE LOST POWER. THE PILOT SWITCHED FUEL TANKS SEVERAL TIMES IN AN ATTEMPT TO REGAIN POWER. HE WAS UNABLE TO SUSTAIN ENGINE POWER AND RESORTED TO A FORCED LANDING ON A ROAD, WHERE THE WING STRUCK A SIGN. SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED ONLY UNUSABLE FUEL REMAINING IN THE TANKS. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE THOUGHT THAT HE HAD FIVE HOURS OF FUEL ON BOARD THE AIRPLANE FOR THE INTENDED FLIGHT, BUT AFTER 4.4 HOURS ON THE HOBBS METER THE ENGINE BEGAN TO LOSE POWER FROM FUEL EXHAUSTION.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 166 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 92 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,840 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 7, 1993; 180 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A3A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F82 Lubbock TX at 4:45 pm
- Destination: SLN Salina KS
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:08 pm from SLN, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.