Piper PA-34-200 N1392T

Summary

On 8 July 1993 at about 02:37 local time, a Piper PA-34-200 registered N1392T, operated by Air Desert Pacific, was involved in an accident near La Verne, California, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 July 1993 at 02:37

Classification

Accident

Location

La Verne, California, United States

Coordinates

34.1508, -117.7593

Aircraft

Piper PA-34-200

Registration

N1392T

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Air Desert Pacific

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX93FA282

3 people had minor injuries.

THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR'S FAILURE TO OBTAIN/MAINTAIN BEST THE SINGLE-ENGINE RATE-OF-CLIMB AIRSPEED, AND HIS FAILURE TO ENSURE THAT THE LANDING GEAR WAS RETRACTED. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS CONTAMINATION IN THE FUEL SYSTEM, WHICH BLOCKED FUEL FLOW THROUGH THE FLOW DIVIDER AND RESULTED IN FUEL STARVATION TO ONE ENGINE.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR (CFI) SAID THAT DURING THE INITIAL CLIMB AND AFTER GEAR RETRACTION THE LEFT ENGINE LOST POWER. HE TOOK CONTROL AND FEATHERED THE LEFT PROP, BUT WAS UNABLE TO ESTABLISH A SINGLE-ENGINE RATE-OF-CLIMB. HE ATTEMPTED TO FLY THROUGH A LOW POINT IN HILLY TERRAIN, BUT THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH A POWER LINE AND CRASHED INTO A RAVINE. THE LANDING GEAR WAS FOUND IN THE EXTENDED AND LOCKED POSITION, AND A GROUND WITNESS SAW THE GEAR EXTENDED DURING THE FLIGHT. THE LEFT ENGINE FUEL FLOW DIVIDER WAS FOUND TO BE PARTIALLY PLUGGED WITH A GREY/WHITE MATERIAL (CONTAMINATION). LABORATORY ANALYSIS IDENTIFIED THE MATERIAL AS POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE (PET), A THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL. ORIGIN OF THE CONTAMINATE WAS UNKNOWN. ACCORDING TO THE AIRCRAFT SINGLE ENGINE PERFORMANCE CHART, THE AIRPLANE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CLIMB AT ABOUT 150 FEET PER MINUTE. A PILOT-RATED PASSENGER IN THE REAR HEARD THE STALL HORN SOUNDING AFTER THE CFI TOOK CONTROL AND ATTEMPTED TO ESTABLISH A SINGLE-ENGINE CLIMB. VYSE IS 103 MPH AND VSO IS 73 MPH.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.