Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA28 near Canton, GA — 2017-08-15

Final reportERA17LA277
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Date
2017-08-15
Location
Canton, GA, USA
Airport
CNI
Aircraft
PIPER PA28
Registration
N2804T
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

Maintenance personnel's failure to ensure the proper throttle linkage travel clearance after the installation of an exhaust system.

NTSB narrative

According to the flight instructor, during the takeoff roll, he noted that the airplane felt "sluggish." After checking all systems, he and the student pilot continued the takeoff. The flight instructor noted that, after climbing to 200 ft, the airspeed began to decrease while the engine continued to produce power. The flight instructor performed an emergency landing in a wooded area, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. An examination of the airplane revealed that the carburetor throttle linkage was striking against the exhaust shield, which prevented the carburetor throttle linkage from its full movement at full throttle. A review of the maintenance logbooks revealed that a new exhaust system was recently installed on the engine. It is likely that maintenance personnel failed to ensure that the throttle linkage was properly adjusted, which prevented the throttle from opening fully and resulted in the engine being unable to produce full static power.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Throttle linkage issue could have been identified during preflight inspection.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents7

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