Plane Crash List

Piper PA-28-180 N7581W

5 June 1997 · Columbus, Mississippi, United States · No injuries

Summary

On 5 June 1997 at about 19:30 local time, a Piper PA-28-180 registered N7581W was involved in an accident near Columbus, Mississippi, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

The record

Date
at 19:30
Classification
Accident
Location
Columbus, Mississippi, United States
Nearest airport
Columbus-Lowndes County (UBS)
Coordinates
Not recorded
Aircraft
Piper PA-28-180
Registration
N7581W
Category
Airplane
Engines
1
Operator
Not recorded
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Personal
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
ATL97LA084

People

Nobody was injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
2 0 0 0 2

Probable cause

inadequate maintenance/inspection and subsequent corrosion of the air filter, which resulted in pieces of the air filter to block the intake to the carburetor and result in loss of engine power. A factor relating to the accident was: failure of maintenance personnel to comply with a manufacturer's Service Bulletin.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While en route back to the departure airport, after a series of maneuvers, the engine sputtered, then lost power. All attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful. The airplane was substantially damaged during a forced landing in a cornfield. Later a mechanic determined that the engine air filter was corroded, which allowed pieces of aluminum to 'flake off' and be ingested into the carburetor. There was evidence that these pieces blocked the carburetor air intake, causing air starvation in the engine. Piper Service Bulletin, Number 975, was issued which recommended maintenance or replacement of a seal around the landing light. Cracking of this seal could allowed standing water to corrode the air filter. The service bulletin was not complied with.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

Other Piper PA-28 accidents

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
18 Feb 1997 Piper PA-28
N75050
Mulege, Mexico
no coordinates
Aabas Flying Club No injuries -
14 Apr 1997 Piper PA-28-160
N5363W
Pickens, South Carolina, United States Chester D. Maynard Minor injuries -
27 Jul 1997 Piper PA-28
N2394Q
Nelson, Canada
no coordinates
California Planners and Consul Fatal 4
27 Jun 1997 Piper PA-28-140
N6306R
Leadville, Colorado, United States Michael S. Luther Minor injuries -
11 Oct 1997 Piper PA-28-181
N2938B
Leadore, Idaho, United States - Fatal 2
14 Mar 1997 Piper PA-28-161
N2914A
Sanford, Maine, United States
no coordinates
- No injuries -

All 9,402 records for this type

Other accidents in this area

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
21 Apr 1997 Grumman G-164B
N6601Q
Ackerman, Mississippi, United States - No injuries -
11 Aug 1997 Bell 47-D1
N908B
Holcomb, Mississippi, United States - No injuries -
12 Oct 1997 Cessna 172P
N945SM
Wiggins, Mississippi, United States - Minor injuries -
2 Sep 1997 Learjet 31
N71JC
Aberdeen, Mississippi, United States - No injuries -
19 Jun 1997 Spencer PITTS S-1S
N7211R
Greenwood, Mississippi, United States - No injuries -
20 Sep 1997 Bell 47G-2
N90485
McGee, Mississippi, United States Louis E. McCarthy No injuries -

All 170,864 records in United States