Piper PA-28-180 N7573W
30 April 1995 · Porter, Texas, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 30 April 1995 at about 20:15 local time, a Piper PA-28-180 registered N7573W was involved in an accident near Porter, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 20:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Porter, Texas, United States
- Nearest airport
- Williams (9XS2)
- Coordinates
- 30.1006, -95.2899
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180
- Registration
- N7573W
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW95FA184
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO IDENTIFY THE UNSAFE CONDITION CREATED BY CARRYING A BATTERY WITH JUMPER CABLES ATTACHED IN THE BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT AND THE ENSUING FIRE IN THE BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT NOTICED A 'STRANGE' ODOR AFTER TAKEOFF. SMOKE FILLED THE CABIN AS HE ENTERED THE DOWNWIND LEG FOR A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING. WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE APPROACH TRAILING SMOKE AND TOUCH DOWN 'HARD' COLLAPSING THE LANDING GEAR. FLAMES WERE VISIBLE IN THE CABIN AS THE AIRPLANE SLID TO A STOP. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRFRAME REVEALED AN IN-FLIGHT FIRE ORIGINATED IN THE BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT WHERE AN AUTOMOTIVE BATTERY WAS FOUND WITH A SET OF JUMPER CABLES ATTACHED TO THE TERMINALS. THE OTHER ENDS OF THE CABLES WERE FUSED TOGETHER ON THE BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT FLOOR. THE PILOT KEPT THE BATTERY IN THE BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT FOR USE IN JUMP STARTING THE AIRPLANE, BUT DID NOT RECALL USING IT ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT. ONE WITNESS HEARD REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO START THE AIRPLANE 'ON A WEAK BATTERY,' THEN 'SAW THE BAGGAGE DOOR OPEN AND SOON AFTER THAT THE PLANE WAS STARTED.'
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-28 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Sep 1995 | Piper PA-28-161 | Rutland, Vermont, United States | Pierre Gourinchas | No injuries | - |
| 24 Sep 1995 | Piper PA-28-180 | Warwick, New York, United States | Theodore LEB | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jun 1995 | Piper PA-28-181 | Palm Springs, California, United States | Alan L. Kaplan | No injuries | - |
| 16 Aug 1995 | Piper PA-28-140 | Bolivar, Tennessee, United States | Alec S. Bari | No injuries | - |
| 3 Jul 1995 | Piper PA-28-140 | Colorado Spgs, Colorado, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Jul 1995 | Piper PA-28-161 | Carmel Valley, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
All 9,402 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Jan 1995 | Cessna 150L | Needville, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 27 Dec 1995 | Piper PA-24-250 | Kaufman, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 25 Jun 1995 | Beechcraft 77 | McAllen, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Dec 1995 | Republic RC 3 | Whitewright, Texas, United States | William Grantham | No injuries | - |
| 10 Feb 1995 | Piper PA-32R-300 | Conroe, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 5 |
| 22 Dec 1995 | Piper PA-22-160 | Waller, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |