N4361MPiper PA-12 · 1947

On July 26, 2012, about 1615 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-12, N4361M, operated by Paramount Air Service Inc., was substantially damaged when it impacted trees after experiencing a total loss of engine power while maneuvering near Green Creek, New Jersey. The commercial pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the flight that departed the Paramount Airport (JY04) about 1145. The local banner tow flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

The pilot reported that he had topped off the airplane's fuel tanks (38 gallons total capacity) earlier in the day. He started the engine about 1135, and departed on a banner towing flight about 1145. The flight had been uneventful, and he was returning to land at JY04 after flying for about 4.5 hours. He dropped the banner, added full engine power, climbed to traffic pattern altitude, and maneuvered to enter the downwind leg of the traffic pattern. During the climb, the engine momentarily sputtered and then lost all power shortly thereafter. The pilot checked both fuel selectors, magnetos, and applied carburetor heat with no effect. He was not able to restart the engine and performed a forced landing to trees.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left side of the nose section, wing leading edges, and a buckled firewall.

Postaccident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. Both the left (main) and right (auxiliary) fuel tanks were intact. The right fuel tank was empty and the left fuel tank contained about 1.75 gallons of fuel.

The airplane was manufactured in 1947, with a Lycoming O-235C, 100-horsepower engine, and was equipped with a Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150-horsepower engine at the time of the accident. Fuel was supplied to the engine via a gravity feed fuel system through the left, or both the left and the right fuel tanks. The airplane's most recent annual inspection was performed on May 17, 2012, and the airplane had been operated for about 200 hours since. In addition, at the time of the inspection, the engine had been operated for about 750 hours since it was overhauled.

On July 26, 2008, approximately 1745 eastern daylight time (edt), a Piper PA-12 Airplane, N4361M, made a forced landing, in a residential area of Rio Grande, New Jersey, after a complete loss of engine power, The airplane was substantially damaged and the commercial pilot received serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and the flight was being operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 without a flight plan. The flight was for the purpose of towing a banner and had departed Lakewood, New Jersey about 1345 EDT.

About four hours into the flight the engine started sputtering and eventually stopped completely. The pilot reported that at the cruise power setting used, at the time of the power loss, 15-20 minutes of fuel remained in the tanks according to calculations based on fuel burn data gathered throughout the previous month.

A Federal Aviation Inspector looked at the fuel tanks at at the accident site and found them to be empty.

The pilot stated in the recommendations section of the pilot report that "in order to reduce my total flight time and land with required fuel minimums, I should have turned inland at an earlier point."