Piper PA-28-140 accident near Phoenix, Arizona, September 3, 1998
On September 3, 1998 at about 3:06 am local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N55038, was substantially damaged in an accident near Phoenix, Arizona (Deer Valley airport). 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 starvation due to the pilot's inadequate in-flight fuel management and his failure to select a tank containing fuel prior to the loss of power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 1998 · about 3:06 am local time
- Place
- Phoenix, Arizona · Deer Valley
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N55038 · no longer on the register · serial 28-1325310
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After a local 1-hour night flight the pilot was returning to the airport. At 1,000 feet agl, and 4 1/2 miles from the airport, the airplane experienced a loss of engine power. The pilot switched fuel tanks and went through the emergency checklist but was unable to gain a restart. The pilot landed hard in a landfill area and collided with a dirt bank during the landing roll. The fuel selector was found positioned to the right fuel tank, which had a small amount of fuel in it. About 3 to 4 gallons of fuel was found in a puddle underneath the right wing. The left wing tank had no fuel in it.
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
- Flight time: 238 hours in all; 83 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 203 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,116 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 3, 1998; 83 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DVT at 2:30 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7R, 8,200 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 010° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 am from DVT, 5 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.
Other NTSB records under N55038 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.