N772SGPiper PA-32RT-300 · 1978

On April 27, 2020, at 1735 central daylight time, a Piper PA-32RT-300, N772SG, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Meridianville, Tennessee. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

According to the pilot, while on final approach to runway 36, he determined that the airplane was too high and too fast, so he reduced the engine power to idle and performed a forward slip to the left for about 5 seconds. He then applied engine power to arrest the descent rate; however, the engine did not respond. The pilot stated that there was little time to perform remedial actions to restore power, although he did check the fuel pump and cycle the throttle before executing a forced landing in the field leading up to the runway. Postaccident, the pilot reported that he "may have unported the fuel uptake during the slip." He reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane prior to the loss the engine power on final approach.

Inspection of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the airplane was intact and came to rest upright in the field about 1,600 ft from the runway threshold. Both wings sustained substantial damage. During recovery, 25 and 7 gallons of fuel were removed from the airplane's right and left fuel tanks, respectively. The fuel selector was positioned to the right fuel tank.

The engine was successfully started twice and allowed to idle during post accident examination. Higher power settings were not attempted due to safety concerns. No anomalies were noted with the engine during the examination.

The airplane's pilot operating handbook stated in part:

The shape of the wing fuel tanks is such that in certain maneuvers the fuel may move away from the tank outlet. If the outlet is uncovered, the fuel flow will be interrupted and a temporary loss of power may result. Pilots can prevent inadvertent uncovering of the outlet by avoiding maneuvers which could result in uncovering the outlet.

Prolonged slips or skids which result in excess of 2000 ft of altitude loss, or other radical or extreme maneuvers which could cause uncovering of the fuel outlet must be avoided as fuel flow interruption may occur when tank being used is not full.