Piper PA-28-140 N686FL

Summary

On 7 September 2002 at about 14:45 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N686FL, operated by Hughes Aviation, was involved in an accident near Bella Vista, Arkansas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

7 September 2002 at 14:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Bella Vista, Arkansas, United States

Coordinates

36.4713, -94.2516

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N686FL

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Hughes Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bentonville → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW02LA252

2 people had minor injuries.

The binding throttle control cable, which resulted in a forced landing. A contributing 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 CFI demonstrated a power-off stall to the student, and when he applied full power during the recovery, the throttle stuck between 1800-1900 rpm. The CFI verified that the friction lock was unlocked and attempted to push the throttle forward with both hands; however, the throttle would not advance forward. The pilot elected not to move the throttle back toward idle. The airplane was unable to maintain altitude, and a forced landing was initiated to a golf course. The CFI stated that he moved the throttle to idle on short final, and the throttle moved aft smoothly. The airplane touched down and during the landing roll the left landing gear contacted a sand trap, the airplane pivoted 90 degrees, and came to rest upright. Post-accident examination of the airplane revealed that the throttle cable's retaining bolt, nut, washer, and cotter pin were in place on the throttle lever arm of the carburetor, and the cable was secure in the mounting brace attached to the engine. The throttle cable was bent (approximately 75 degrees) into the engine truss, as a result of the impact. The throttle cable was moved from the full forward position (the position it was in when personnel arrived at the site) to the idle position; however, it was not possible to move the throttle. The airplane was moved from the accident site and second examination took place. During this examination it was determined that the cable installation at the throttle quadrant and carburetor were found to be proper. The throttle control was moved and the cable was observed to move, up to the point of the 75-degree bend. The cable was straightened and normal travel of the throttle cable was attained, although some binding was noted near the idle position. The throttle cable was then disassembled at the throttle control attach point, and the cable was removed. The inner cable was then removed from its outer sheathing. The inner cable winding was "somewhat bulged or unwound" at the upper end just forward of the throttle lever attach point. The cable sheath displayed a "shined spot" at a location corresponding to the unwound area. No other anomalies were noted. The reason for the binding was not determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.