Piper PA-28-140 N6303W

Summary

On 29 April 2002 at about 21:30 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N6303W was involved in an accident near Owasso, Oklahoma, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 April 2002 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Owasso, Oklahoma, United States

Coordinates

36.2667, -95.7833

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N6303W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Owasso → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW02LA133

1 person was seriously injured.

The loss of engine power as a result of the pilot's failure to remove the engine cowling plugs during the preflight inspection. A contributing factor was 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

After departure from a local airport the pilot flew around the area so his passenger could take aerial photographs of a baseball field. Subsequently, the engine lost power and he initiated a forced landing to a golf course. The airplane impacted uneven terrain and trees coming to rest upright and was consumed by a postimpact fire. According to a witness at the airport that the pilot departed from, the airplane was observed taking off with "cowl plugs" still installed on the airplane. An on scene inspection by an FAA inspector who responded to the accident site, located the engine cowl plugs prior to the green.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.