Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA 28-140 near Hartford, CT — 2018-06-16

Final reportWPR18LA173
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Date
2018-06-16
Location
Hartford, CT, USA
Airport
HFD
Aircraft
PIPER PA 28-140
Registration
N1782J
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons because postaccident examination of the engine and fuel system did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation, which led to the pilot’s forced landing and subsequent runway overshoot and collision with a fence.

NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that after takeoff, the engine lost partial power, and the airplane would not maintain altitude. The pilot initiated a forced landing to a runway at a nearby closed airport. During the descent, the pilot verified the mixture was full rich and the carburetor heat was off, and he switched fuel tanks. The pilot said the engine did not respond, so he turned it off and executed a "forward slip" and S-turns to position the airplane onto the runway; however, the airplane landed about 600 ft from the departure end of the runway, overran the end of the runway, and struck a fence which resulted in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot reported he believed that the recently replaced fuel selector valve failed and starved the engine of fuel. Postaccident examination of the airplane and an engine test run did not reveal any anomalies with the engine, fuel system or the fuel selector valve that would have precluded normal operation. Thus, the reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted takeoff when engine started to sputter.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 5 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents5

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