At 0315 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-151 was damaged during a forced landing to Interstate 70 in Port Columbus. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The pilot had flown from Columbus, Ohio, to Utica, N.Y., the day before and had used about 33 gallons to make the trip. The topped the fuel tanks with 48 gallons usable for the return trip. His weather briefing called for winds of 15 to 17 knots, but the actual winds aloft were about 36 knots, peaking at 50 knots. The airplane ran out of fuel about 10 miles from its destination. The pilot had gotten his private certificate about five weeks earlier.
May 16, Port Columbus, Ohio / Piper Warrior
At 0315 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-151 was damaged during a forced landing to Interstate 70 in Port Columbus. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The pilot had flown from Columbus, Ohio, to Utica, N.Y., the day before and had used about 33 gallons to make the trip. The topped the fuel tanks with 48 gallons usable for the return trip. His weather briefing called for winds of 15 to 17 knots, but the actual winds aloft were about 36 knots, peaking at 50 knots. The airplane ran out of fuel about 10 miles from its destination. The pilot had gotten his private certificate about five weeks earlier....
Key Takeaways:
- A Piper PA-28-151 made a forced landing on Interstate 70 after running out of fuel, resulting in aircraft damage but no injuries.
- Stronger-than-forecast headwinds (36-50 knots vs. 15-17 knots briefed) caused the aircraft to consume fuel faster than anticipated, leading to exhaustion about 10 miles from its destination.
- The pilot had obtained his private certificate approximately five weeks prior to the incident.
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