Piper PA28 - 140 accident near El Cajon, California, May 16, 2015
On May 16, 2015 at about 5:20 pm local time, a 1966 Piper PA28 - 140, registered N7099R, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near El Cajon, California. 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
The pilot's improper in-flight fuel management, which resulted in fuel exhaustion in the selected tank, and his delayed movement of the fuel selector handle to the other tank, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 16, 2015 · about 5:20 pm local time
- Place
- El Cajon, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28 - 140 140, built 1966 · all PA28 - 140s on the register
- Registration
- N7099R · no longer on the register · serial 28-21804
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot reported that he departed for the 365-mile cross-country personal flight with 40 gallons of fuel on board the airplane, and he estimated that the fuel burn would be about 8 gallons per hour, which equated to an in-flight duration of 5 hours. About 4 hours 40 minutes into the flight and about 20 miles from the destination airport, the engine rpm dropped to 1,700, and the pilot's attempts to restore engine power were not successful. When the pilot determined that the airplane would not be able to reach the destination airport, he chose an alternate airport; however, the airplane did not have sufficient power to reach the alternate airport, so he chose to land on a residential street. During the landing roll, the airplane collided with traffic cones and a truck, which resulted in substantial damage to both wings; the truck driver stated that the airplane's propeller was not spinning when the impact occurred. Several ounces of fuel was recovered from the right tank, and about 6 gallons of fuel was recovered from the left tank; the fuel selector was found positioned to the left tank. During a postaccident test run with 5 gallons of fuel in each tank, the engine ran normally on each tank. When the fuel selector was moved to the "off" position, the engine continued to run for 1 minute 39 seconds and then stopped. However, when the selector was subsequently positioned to a tank with fuel, the engine would not continue to run, likely due to the air in the lines. Although the selector was found in the left tank position, the pilot likely depleted the fuel from the right tank and delayed switching to the left tank, which led to the engine losing power due to fuel starvation, at which point, it could not be restarted.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Task monitoring/vigilance › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Ground vehicle › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 210 hours in all; 139 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 180 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 5, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,491 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TUS Tucson AZ at 1:40 pm
- Destination: MYF San Diego CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,400 ft; a few clouds at 2,600 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 5:25 pm from SEE, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.