Piper PA34 accident near Gulf Shores, Alabama, July 7, 2018
On July 7, 2018 at about 2:20 pm local time, a 1981 Piper PA34, registered N294AB, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (aborted after touchdown) near Gulf Shores, Alabama (Jack Edwards National airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 5 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper preflight and in-flight fuel planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion to the left engine and a total loss of engine power during an attempted go-around maneuver.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 7, 2018 · about 2:20 pm local time
- Place
- Gulf Shores, Alabama · Jack Edwards National · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA34 220T, built 1981 · all PA34s on the register
- Registration
- N294AB · no longer on the register · serial 34-8133257
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot departed in the twin-engine airplane with an estimated quantity of fuel. While landing at the destination airport, the airplane bounced and the pilot aborted the landing. During the subsequent climb, the left engine surged several times before it lost all power. The pilot attempted to restore left engine power by placing the auxiliary fuel pump switch to "high" and selecting "crossfeed" on the left fuel selector, but restoration of continuous engine power was unsuccessful. When the left engine stopped producing power, the stall horn sounded, and the controls "started to buffet." The pilot said that he had "no time" to consult the emergency checklist and considered multiple forced landing areas before he chose to land straight ahead into trees. The airplane came to rest upright with substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. There was an odor of fuel at the scene, but there was no evidence of fuel or fuel spillage. Examination and testing of the engines revealed no pre-impact mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane's best single-engine rate of climb given the conditions present at the time of the accident was about 280 ft per minute.
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 exhaustion during landing (aborted after touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 335 hours in all; 33 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,277 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 26, 2018
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Cont Motor TSIO-360 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Cont Motor TSIO-360 SER (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LFT Lafayette LA at 12:45 pm
- Destination: JKA Gulf Shores AL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 09, 6,962 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,100 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 2:15 pm from KJKA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
16 documents, released by the NTSB on March 18, 2020. 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 | Memorandum for Record- 6120 Form | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Statements | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Pilot's Interview Summaries | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Interview Summary with Owner | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Passenger Statements | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Operator Interview Summary | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Witness Interviews | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Inspector Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Aircraft Recovery Memorandum for Record | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 10 | Piper PA34 Single Engine Performance | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 11 | Annual Inspection | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 12 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 13 | Data Attachment | data file | Download |
| 14 | Engine Data Monitor Factual Report | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 15 | Accident Site Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 16 | Wreckage Release Form | PDF, 1 page | 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.