Piper PA-28-180 accident near Laurinburg, North Carolina, June 20, 2022
On June 20, 2022 at about 5:15 pm local time, a 1967 Piper PA-28-180, registered N9676J, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Laurinburg, North Carolina (Laurinburg-Maxton Airport). 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 decision to depart with insufficient fuel onboard, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion on final approach for landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 20, 2022 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Laurinburg, North Carolina · Laurinburg-Maxton Airport · 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 NO SERIES, built 1967 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N9676J · registry record · serial 28-3846
- 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 he conducted a long cross-country flight and landed with 10 gallons of fuel between the two wing fuel tanks. He subsequently departed without refueling and about 15 to 20 miles from his destination, the engine began to sputter. The pilot switched the fuel selector to the left tank, which momentarily resolved the partial loss of engine power, but the engine again sputtered when the airplane was about 3 miles from the destination. The pilot switched the fuel selector back to the right tank, after which the engine lost total power. He determined that the airplane had insufficient altitude to reach the runway, so he completed a forced landing on a road, during which the airplane struck an object, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing. The right fuel tank was found nearly empty, and the tank was intact with no areas of fuel leakage observed. The left tank contained less than 1/2 gallon of fuel; however, a fuel leak was observed at the wing root as a result of impact-related damage, and the fuel was measured several days after the accident. Therefore, the exact quantity of fuel that remained in the left wing tank at the time of the accident could not be determined. Postaccident testing of the engine found that it produced normal power after fuel was added to the right tank. Although the investigation could not determine the total fuel remaining in the left tank due to damage sustained in the accident, it is likely that the pilot exhausted the airplane’s total fuel supply during the approach to landing. The pilot reported that he should have refueled before departing on the accident flight and that he was “over trustful” of the fuel gauges.
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
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
- Fuel exhaustion during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,183 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 14, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 3,183 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TTA Sanford NC at 5:00 pm
- Destination: MEB Laurinburg NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 6,503 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.23 inHg
- Observation at 1:52 pm from MEB, 3 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KMEB 201752Z AUTO VRB06KT 10SM CLR 31/09 A3023 RMK AO2 SLP235 T03110089 10311 20189 56013 TSNO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.
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 ERA22LA276.