Piper PA-28-161 accident near Prescott, Arizona, September 17, 2000
On September 17, 2000 at about 10:18 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N6303C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Prescott, Arizona. It was a personal 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
An improper engine installation by other maintenance personnel that resulted in a fuel leak at the main fuel line fitting to the carburetor and subsequent fuel exhaustion during cruise flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 17, 2000 · about 10:18 pm local time
- Place
- Prescott, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N6303C · no longer on the register · serial 28-7890360
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Due to a loss of engine power, the pilot made a forced landing in an open field and collided with desert shrubs before coming to rest inverted. The pilot stated that he had refueled to maximum tank capacity prior to takeoff and calculated the en route time to the planned refueling stop at 4 hours 15 minutes. He stated that he was 4 hours 10 minutes into the flight and near the refueling airport when the engine quit. He contacted the local tower and informed them that he was out of fuel and was going to try to land on a highway. He had to maneuver to avoid on-coming vehicular traffic and landed in the brush-covered field. Responding personnel did not see or smell fuel in the airplane or on the ground surrounding the airplane. Mechanical continuity was established in the engine during an examination. With the fuel pump turned on, a fuel leak was found at the fuel line fitting where it enters the carburetor. The leak rate with just the boost pump on was 1 drop per minute. Heavy fuel staining was noted on the carburetor bowl below the bowl seal gasket and around the line fitting, and on induction hoses directly below this point. The heavy and thick stain residue was consistent with a long-term leak. Review of the logbooks revealed that the engine had been reinstalled after an overhaul about 8 days prior to the accident. A remote fuel source was attached to the fuel fitting of the left wing and an engine ground run to full power was conducted with no discrepancies noted. According to the airplane manufacture, this airplane holds 48 gallons of fuel with 4 gallons unusable fuel. The range/cruise performance charts in the Airplane Flight Manual shows a Best Power fuel consumption of 9.0 gallons per hour at 65 percent power, and 10.5 gallons per hour at 75 percent power. The endurance time shown in the charts for 65 percent power is 5.5 hours.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 197 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 46 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 153 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,454 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 9, 2000; 46 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 068 Mariposa CA at 6:05 pm
- Destination: PRC AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 194°F (90°C), dew point 99°F (37°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:32 pm from PRC, 4 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.
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.