Piper PA 34 accident near Llano, Texas, April 12, 2017
On April 12, 2017 at about 2:52 am local time, a 1980 Piper PA 34, registered N461RL, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Llano, Texas (Llano Muni 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 instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s complacency during the en route phase of flight, which resulted in fuel mismanagement and a subsequent gear-up landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 12, 2017 · about 2:52 am local time
- Place
- Llano, Texas · Llano Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 34 200T, built 1980 · all PA 34s on the register
- Registration
- N461RL · registry record · serial 34-8170001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot in the multiengine, retractable-gear-equipped airplane reported that he was flying in instrument meteorological conditions and leveled off at 8,000 ft mean sea level. He began to configure the airplane for cruise flight, and he realized that the right engine cross-feed fuel selector was positioned for the left tank. The left tank fuel indicator displayed empty, and the right fuel indicator displayed 45 gallons remaining. He believed that the fuel indicators had malfunctioned, and he established an approach to a nearby highway intersection. The pilot landed with the landing gear stowed on the asphalt highway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage longerons. Per the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot reported that he became complacent during the flight and vowed to use a checklist in the future. The pilot has coordinated with his local Federal Aviation Administration Safety Team to help prevent similar accidents from occurring in the future. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane 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 exhaustion during enroute defining event
- Landing gear not configured during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Task monitoring/vigilance › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Personality/attitude › Complacency › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,735 hours in all; 27 in this make and model; 136.8 in the last 90 days; 54.2 in the last 30 days; 5,621 as pilot in command; 1,941 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 31, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,021.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 5, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 4,750 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Teledyne Continental TSIO360EB1 (piston); 842 hours total
- Engine 2: Teledyne Continental LTSIO360EB1 (piston); 982 hours total
- Operator: Claiborne Aviation LLC
The flight
- Departed from: KDZB Horseshoe Bay TX at 2:40 am
- Destination: KJST San Angelo TX
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,800 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 am from KAQO
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 September 25, 2017. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo (Courtesy of FAA) | 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.