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WPR23LA308

2023-08-08 · Ritchfield, Utah, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport RIF

Current FAA registration · N8823J

Make / Model
PIPER PA-28-180
Year of manufacture
1965 · 58 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19651006
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AC280D

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s improper preflight planning that resulted in the loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that, after flying for about four hours, the engine began to surge. Concerned about the fuel condition, he switched to the other fuel tank and turned toward a highway for a potential emergency landing. While descending, the engine experienced surges again and then sputtered, followed by a complete loss of engine power. The pilot noticed that both fuel tank gauges were showing empty. While maneuvering over the highway for a forced landing, the airplane’s right wingtip collided with a semi-truck, causing the airplane to strike the highway and veer off into a median. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Flight planning/navigation-Pilot
  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_WPR23LA308.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (fuel exhaustion). All research papers