Piper PA-28-181 accident near Lanai, Hawaii, July 7, 1996
On July 7, 1996 at about 4:21 am local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N4319J, was destroyed in an accident near Lanai, Hawaii. 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
Fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's inadequate fuel planning and failure to refuel the aircraft prior to initiating a 280-mile over water nonstop leg of the flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 7, 1996 · about 4:21 am local time
- Place
- Lanai, Hawaii · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N4319J · no longer on the register · serial 28-8490008
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot rented the aircraft for an inter-island personal cross-country flight. According to the pilot, he departed Honolulu with full fuel tanks (48 useable gallons) and flew to the island of Molokai, where a full stop landing was made. About 15 minutes later, he departed and flew to the island of Maui, where another full stop landing was made. The aircraft was on the ground for 40 minutes, then departed for Hilo on the island of Hawaii, arriving 47 minutes later at 1530. After 25 minutes on the ground, the flight departed Hilo for a nonstop return to Honolulu over a direct route. The pilot stated that while on the ground at Hilo he estimated the fuel used to that point at 26 gallons, and further estimated that the remaining 22 gallons were sufficient to 'easily be able to fly back to Honolulu and have a 30 minute reserve.' The pilot did not refuel while at the Hilo airport. One hour 20 minutes into the return flight he noticed that the left fuel gage was decreasing rapidly and immediately checked the aircraft exterior for signs of leakage and found none. With the fuel selector on the left tank, the engine began to lose power and the pilot switched to the right tank, then contacted Honolulu CERAP, declared a low fuel state, and requested radar vectors to the nearest airport. The controller provided a heading to an airport on Lanai, about 27 miles distant. At 1816, the engine lost all power and the aircraft was forced to ditch in the ocean. The pilot and passenger exited the aircraft into the water before it sank and were picked up 25 minutes later by a passing boat. Of the 5 hours 3 minutes elapsed from the time the pilot departed Honolulu until the accident, 3 hours 43 minutes was flight time, and 1 hour 20 minutes was ground time. The pilot did not have floatation or survival gear onboard the aircraft. The water depth at the accident site is in excess of 600 feet and the aircraft has not been recovered.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 995 hours in all; 230 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 260 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 30, 1995
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ITO Hilo HI at 2:42 am
- Destination: HNL Honolulu HI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 005° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.