ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 134124
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Date: | Sunday 26 January 1997 |
Time: | 12:00 |
Type: | Piper PA-28RT-201 |
Owner/operator: | Private |
Registration: | N344LC |
MSN: | 28R-8018022 |
Total airframe hrs: | 8296 hours |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Category: | Accident |
Location: | Chehalis, WA -
United States of America
|
Phase: | Take off |
Nature: | Private |
Departure airport: | CLS |
Destination airport: | |
Investigating agency: | NTSB |
Confidence Rating: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Narrative:On January 26, 1997, about 1200 Pacific standard time, N344LC, a Piper PA-28RT-201, operated by the owner/pilot, impacted terrain during a forced landing and was destroyed in Chehalis, Washington. There was no fire. The forced landing was precipitated by a total loss of engine power during initial climb after takeoff. The first pilot received minor injuries and the second pilot was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The personal, local flight departed from Chehalis and was conducted under 14 CFR 91.
Written statements and interviews (attached) were provided by both pilots to the Safety Board and to an aviation safety inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) office in Seattle, Washington. According to both pilots, the flight was for the purpose of practicing touch-and-go landings. The private pilot was designated as the pilot-in-command (first pilot) and was seated in the left front seat of the airplane. His father, a commercial pilot and certified flight instructor (second pilot), was seated in the right front seat and had intended on being only a passenger.
Both pilots shared the preflight inspection duties. The second pilot stated that he visually checked the fuel quantity in each wing's fuel tank. He stated that the fuel level of the right tank was "at the indicator tab," which meant that 25 gallons of fuel was in the right tank. He stated that the fuel level of the left tank was below the lowest sight tab, which meant that he could not see any fuel in the tank. The second pilot stated that he alerted the first pilot about the "low" fuel level of the left tank, but the first pilot "... did not carefully note..." this information. The second pilot also stated that he may not have relayed this information to the first pilot clearly enough.
The first pilot stated that he selected the left fuel tank prior to takeoff because the left cockpit fuel quantity gage was indicating a full tank, while the right fuel gage was indicating a lesser amount. The first pilot stated that the engine run-up prior to takeoff was normal, and he took off from runway 33. After takeoff, the first pilot remained in the traffic pattern and performed a touch-and-go landing. During the second takeoff, the first pilot noted a momentary "hesitation" with the engine. He looked at the second pilot, who did not respond to the hesitation. The second pilot stated that he did not notice or recall the event.
The first pilot continued to fly the airplane in the traffic pattern and performed a third touch-and-go landing. During the third takeoff, the engine suddenly stopped producing power between 200 feet and 400 feet above the ground. The second pilot stated that he immediately took control of the aircraft, noted that the fuel boost pump switch was "on" and asked the first pilot to switch fuel tanks. The first pilot complied. The second pilot stated that he then banked the airplane to the right in order to "avoid trees," and he attempted a forced landing in an open corn field. During the forced landing, the right wing struck the ground.
The first pilot, age 18, held an FAA Private Pilot Certificate with ratings for single-engine land and multiengine land airplanes. The first pilot reported that he had accumulated 112.7 hours of total flight time, including 111.1 hours in type. He had not flown in the 90 days previous to the accident. The first pilot was wearing his seat belt and shoulder harness at the time of the accident and received minor injuries.
The second pilot, age 47, held an FAA Commercial Pilot Certificate with ratings for single-engine land, multiengine land, single-engine sea, and instrument airplanes. He was also licensed to pilot helicopters and gliders, and he was a certified flight instructor in single-engine airplanes. The second pilot reported that he had accumulated 3,500 hours of flight time, including 15 hours in type and 30 hours during the previous 90 days. He also reported that
Sources:
NTSB id 20001208X07365
Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
21-Dec-2016 19:26 |
ASN Update Bot |
Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
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