At approximately 15:22 central time, a Piper PA-23-160 lost power in its left engine while en route from Hebbronville to San Antonio. The airplane crashed near Cotulla, killing the passenger and leaving the pilot with serious injuries. The pilot was cruising at 5,000 feet about 25 miles from the Cotulla airport when he reported a loss of power in the left engine. He was given vectors to Cotulla and cleared to descend to 3,000 feet, then 2,400 feet – the minimum safe altitude according to controller guidelines. The pilot reported he could not maintain altitude and was still IMC, and said he was descending to 1,000 feet. He then reported he had the airport in sight, but crashed 15 miles east of the field. Preliminary investigation indicated the airplane ran out of fuel.
Oct. 10, Cotulla, Texas / Piper Apache
At approximately 15:22 central time, a Piper PA-23-160 lost power in its left engine while en route from Hebbronville to San Antonio. The airplane crashed near Cotulla, killing the passenger and leaving the pilot with serious injuries. The pilot was cruising at 5,000 feet about 25 miles from the Cotulla airport when he reported a loss of power in the left engine. He was given vectors to Cotulla and cleared to descend to 3,000 feet, then 2,400 feet - the minimum safe altitude according to controller guidelines. The pilot reported he could not maintain altitude and was still IMC, and said he was descending to 1,000 feet. He then reported he had the airport in sight, but crashed 15 miles east o...
Key Takeaways:
- A Piper PA-23-160 crashed near Cotulla after losing power in its left engine, resulting in the death of the passenger and serious injuries to the pilot.
- The pilot reported the engine power loss at 5,000 feet, struggled to maintain altitude despite ATC guidance, and eventually crashed 15 miles east of the Cotulla airport.
- Preliminary investigation indicated that the cause of the engine power loss and subsequent crash was fuel exhaustion.
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