NTSB ATL89LA202 — 1989-08-25 · GAINESVILLE, Georgia, United States

N2487N has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (POWRACHUTE CORP AIRWOLF, built 2007), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

N2487N Piper PA-38-112 None

Probable cause & findings

THE PILOT'S MISJUDGEMENT OF THE AIRPLANE FUEL SUPPLY DURING PREFLIGHT INSPECTION, AND HIS SUBSEQUENT FAILURE TO MONITOR IN-FLIGHT FUEL CONSUMPTION, WHICH LED TO AN ENGINE POWER LOSS DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE PILOT'S DECISION NOT TO REFUEL THE AIRPLANE PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT, AND HIS LACK OF TOTAL FLIGHT EXPERIENCE.

Factual narrative

THE AIRPLANE ENGINE EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF POWER DURING FINAL APPROACH, AND THE AIRPLANE SUBSEQUENTLY CRASHED INTO TREES SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. THE STUDENT PLT WAS ON A LOCAL, UNSUPERVISED SOLO FLT AND HAD CONDUCTED SEVERAL T&G LDGS PRIOR TO THE POWER LOSS. TOTAL FLT TIME THIS FLT WAS ABOUT 1 HOUR. THE OPERATOR REPORTED THAT POST-CRASH EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED NO FUEL REMAINING IN THE FUEL TANKS. THE OPERATOR NOTED THAT THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN OPERATED A TOTAL OF 4.6 HRS SINCE LAST REFUELING. HE ALSO NOTED THAT THE PLT WHO HAD FLOWN THE AIRPLANE ON THE PREVIOUS FLT REPORTED THAT AT THE END OF THE FLT, THE LT & RT FUEL QTY GAUGES RESPECTIVELY INDICATED 5 GALLONS & LESS THAN 5 GALLONS REMAINING. THE STUDENT PLT REPORTED THAT HE HAD ESTIMATED THE TANKS WERE ABOUT 1/2 FULL WHEN HE PREFLIGHTED THE AIRPLANE PRIOR TO THIS FLIGHT. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1989_ATL89LA202.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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