N111NWPiper PA-32R-300 · 1976

On March 24, 2022, about 1349 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-300, N111NW, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near St. George, Utah. The pilot and passenger were seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot reported that after refueling the airplane with 94 gallons of fuel they departed Casper/Natrona County International Airport (CPR), Casper, Wyoming, with a destination of St. George Regional Airport (SGU), St. George, Utah. During the approach to runway 19 at SGU, about 3,800 ft above ground level, the pilot reported to the SGU tower that he lost power. Despite several attempts, he was unsuccessful at restarting the engine. Concerned he did not have sufficient altitude to make the runway, he initiated a forced landing to rough desert terrain. During the landing roll, the landing gear collapsed and separated, and the airplane slid about 100 ft before coming to rest upright, resulting in substantial damage to both wings and fuselage.

First responder photos from the accident site showed dark colored and fuel saturated ground underneath the left inboard tank. During the wreckage recovery efforts, the left-wing tanks were empty. Twenty gallons of fuel was recovered from the right-wing tanks.

Figure 1-Accident site, view of the left wing and fuel spill.

Postaccident examination of the engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The fuel selector valve handle position was undetermined due to impact damage. The fuel selector valve was undamaged and found in the right tank position. The fuel lines between the wings, fuel selector valve, electric pump, and engine were tested with air and no blockages were noted. Residual fuel was found in fuel lines and fuel components during the examination.

Downloaded instrument flight data revealed that the fuel tanks were switched about every 20 minutes during the accident flight. Accurate fuel tank quantities were undetermined from the data. According to the data, shortly before the loss of engine power, the fuel pressure decreased to near zero, and about 5 seconds later, the fuel flow momentarily increased and then dropped to zero. Three seconds later, the RPM decreased to zero followed by the manifold pressure increasing to near ambient levels.