Piper PA-28-180 N8981J

Summary

On 21 August 1999 at about 16:00 local time, a Piper PA-28-180 registered N8981J was involved in an accident near Weatherford, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 August 1999 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Weatherford, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Parker County (WEA)

Coordinates

32.7502, -97.7691

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-180

Registration

N8981J

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

FTW99LA230

1 person was seriously injured.

The loss of engine power during the initial takeoff climb for an undetermined reason. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot taxied to the run-up area and started the pre-takeoff checklist. He reported that while performing the magneto check, he noticed a '300 rpm drop on both mags.' To correct this, the pilot stated that he 'ran the rpm up to 2000 and leaned the mixture for approximately one minute.' He performed a magneto check again which resulted in a '75 rpm drop on both sides.' During takeoff from runway 17, 'everything seemed normal', however, during the takeoff initial climb, the engine 'quit.' The airplane was approximately 50 feet agl when it began to settle to the ground. The pilot lowered the nose in order to 'gain speed', and realized he had only approximately 50 to 100 feet of runway left. As the airplane neared some trees, the pilot tried to 'pull up;' however, the airplane impacted the trees and came to a stop upright against a retaining wall. The reason for the loss of engine power was undetermined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.