Piper PA-28-181 accident near Walls, Mississippi, June 24, 1997
On June 24, 1997 at about 6:01 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N3692M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Walls, Mississippi. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The poor in-flight planning by the pilot for her failure to divert to an alternate airport after recognizing that a low fuel quantity state existed when preflight and in-flight planning revealed sufficient fuel for the flight. Contributing to the accident was the inadequate 100-Hour inspection of the airplane by company maintenance personnel for their failure to note an external fuel leak at the carburetor. Also, fatigue failure of the air metering pin return spring which resulted in excessive fuel flow at cruise power setting and subsequent fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 24, 1997 · about 6:01 pm local time
- Place
- Walls, Mississippi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N3692M · no longer on the register · serial 28-7790585
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight departed with full fuel tanks for the planned 4 hour 33 minute flight. Three hours 36 minutes into the flight about 49 nautical miles from the destination airport, the pilot requested to descend to 3,500 feet. The performance chart indicates the descent to begin 41.5 nautical miles. About 9 minutes later the pilot noted that the fuel gauges were indicating low and the flight descended to 1,800 feet. The flight continued and about 14 minutes later, the engine sputtered. The pilot repositioned the fuel selector, advised the controller of this who vectored the airplane toward a nearby airport, and shortly after, about 4 hours after takeoff, the engine quit. Unable to land at the vectored airport the pilot selected a field with a resulting hard landing. Postcrash examination of the airplane revealed fuel exhaustion. The carburetor was tested, and near the power setting set by the pilot during the cruise portion the fuel flow was found to be 3.0 pounds-per-hour high due to a failed spring inside the carburetor. The carburetor was 20 years 4 months old and was never overhauled since manufacture although there is no mandatory requirement. Examination of the carburetor revealed evidence of a fuel leak due to 1 loose carburetor bowl to body screw. The airplane was last inspected 5 days and 12 hours earlier in accordance with a 100-Hour inspection but the carburetor was not further examined.
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: 309 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 37 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,808 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 19, 1997; 12 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: SAV Savannah SC at 2:00 pm
- Destination: M01 Memphis TN
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:12 pm from MEM
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.