Piper PA-28-181 accident near Nashville, Tennessee, March 15, 1997
On March 15, 1997 at about 7:16 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N2505Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Nashville, Tennessee (John C Tune 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
improper planning/decision by the pilot, by failing to ensure there was sufficient fuel to reach a suitable landing area, which resulted in fuel exhaustion, loss of engine power, a forced landing, and collision with a tree. The faulty fuel indication was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 15, 1997 · about 7:16 pm local time
- Place
- Nashville, Tennessee · John C Tune · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N2505Q · no longer on the register · serial 28-7790401
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After about 3 hours of flight, the pilot contemplated stopping for fuel, but elected to continue. The flight was about 7 nautical miles west of an airport, when the engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion. The pilot initiated a turn to land at the nearby airport, but was unable. While descending for a forced landing, the right wing collided with a tree. The airplane then descended and came to rest upright in a field. The pilot stated that at the time of the loss of engine power, the left fuel gauge indicated empty and the right fuel gauge indicated 1/8. Examination of the airplane by an FAA airworthiness inspector revealed the fuel tanks were intact and empty.
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: 286 hours in all; 179 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 246 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,493 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 26, 1996; 99 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,541 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: W44 Asheboro NC at 3:30 pm
- Destination: M02 Dickson TN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:42 pm from BNA, 96 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Other NTSB records under N2505Q 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.