Forced/precautionary landing involving a Piper PA-28-180, VH-PXB, 4 km east of Archerfield Aerodrome, Queensland, on 30 September 1995

The pilot had recently passed his General Flying Progress Test (GFPT), and on the day of the accident had completed a dual check on VH-PXB. He had subsequently made three local passenger carrying flights. During the fourth flight the pilot stated that, as the aircraft approached Archerfield circuit area, and shortly after he had changed the fuel selector from the right tank to the left tank, the engine lost power. The pilot decided to conduct an emergency landing on a road. During the landing roll, the left wing struck a signpost.

Both fuel tanks were drained after the accident and the left fuel tank yielded 18.5 litres and the right fuel tank 9 litres. The published unusable quantity for each tank is 1 litre. This implies that adequate fuel was available for continued engine operation. However, the pilot reported that the flying conditions were turbulent at about the time he changed tanks, and it is possible that air may have entered the fuel system while the right tank was selected. The engine was ground run after the aircraft had been recovered and functioned normally.

The reason for the loss of engine power was not determined.