Piper PA-28-161 N81019

Summary

On 14 April 2000 at about 22:47 local time, a Piper PA-28-161 registered N81019, operated by Palo Alto Flying Club, was involved in an accident near Palo Alto, California, United States. One person was 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.

Date

14 April 2000 at 22:47

Classification

Accident

Location

Palo Alto, California, United States

Nearest airport

Palo Alto Apt of Santa Cl (PAO)

Coordinates

37.4492, -122.0993

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-161

Registration

N81019

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Palo Alto Flying Club

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX00LA154

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons during takeoff climb.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The engine oil was changed and it was the operator's practice, following maintenance, to fly the aircraft before releasing it for student use. The pilot/flight instructor told the operator that the start, taxi, and run-up were normal. The engine operated smoothly until, at 300 feet agl on takeoff climb out, the engine quit abruptly, regained power, then quit again. The pilot attempted to return to the departure runway but landed short in a marsh area. At the accident site, the propeller did not appear to have been turning on impact. There was fuel in both wing tanks and there was no contamination at the sumps. The emergency responders had instructed the pilot to turn the fuel selector to the 'off' position. The fuel pump functioned audibly. There was clean oil in the engine and the engine rotated freely with good compression. After recovery, the cowling was removed and the engine was examined. No anomalies were noted. The propeller was replaced and the carburetor heat box was removed due to damage. The engine started promptly, the run-up was normal, and the engine delivered full power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.