Event CEN20LA018

Factual narrative

On November 9, 2019, about 0945 central standard time, a Piper PA-32 airplane, N7703J, lost engine power shortly after takeoff from David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport (DWH), Houston, Texas. The pilot sustained minor injuries and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flight plan had been filed for the flight. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident. According to the pilot, shortly after takeoff from runway 35L the engine lost power. The pilot turned the airplane to the right, back toward the airport; due to the altitude at the time of the loss of engine power, he was unable to make it to the runway. The nose landing gear collapsed during the forced landing to a field. Both wings and the fuselage were substantially damaged. During the airplane recovery, about 10 gallons of fuel was recovered from the left main fuel tank; the left wingtip fuel tank was impact damaged and was found empty. Both right wing fuel tanks were empty and neither tank was compromised. The fuel selector valve was selected to the right main tank. After recovery, the engine was plumbed to an external fuel source; the engine started and ran without hesitation at various power settings. Further examination of the engine and related systems revealed that there were no mechanical anomalies that would preclude normal operations. The pilot departed on a local flight and shortly after takeoff, the engine lost all power. The airplane was substantially damaged during a forced landing to a field. About 10 gallons of fuel was recovered from the left main fuel tank; the left wingtip fuel tank was impact-damaged and was empty. Both right wing fuel tanks were empty and neither tank was impact damaged or compromised. The fuel selector valve was in the right main tank position. After recovery, the engine was plumbed to an external fuel source; the engine started and ran without hesitation at various power settings. There were no mechanical anomalies with the engine or related systems that would preclude normal operation. It is likely that the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power during takeoff due to fuel starvation as a result of the pilot's failure to select the proper fuel tank. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid management - C
• C Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid level - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot - C