Piper PA-32R-301 N8036D

Summary

On 18 July 2003 at about 23:50 local time, a Piper PA-32R-301 registered N8036D was involved in an accident near Logan, Utah, United States. 6 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.

Date

18 July 2003 at 23:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Logan, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

Logan-Cache (LGU)

Coordinates

41.7196, -111.8407

Aircraft

Piper PA-32R-301

Registration

N8036D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Logan → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

DEN03LA134

Nobody was injured.

the loss of engine power due to partial mechanical failure, which resulted in a forced landing. Contributing factors include the pilot's improper preflight planning/preparation, the improper rigging of the propeller governor control, the high density altitude conditions, and the tailwind.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot's statement, he arrived at Logan at 1830. When he checked the weather, the temperature was 90 degrees and the calculated density altitude was approximately 7,000 feet. There was no wind, but an airport employee suggested using runway 35. Although the pilot had some difficulty starting the engine, all pre take-off checks were normal, and the airplane ran fine. During the taxi to runway 35, the pilot noticed that the wind was from 050 degrees at 15 knots, and he elected to use runway 17. The pilot stated that he leaned the mixture to 2,200 rpm, accelerated to 80 knots, and rotated. Following rotation, the airplane continued to accelerate, but would only climb approximately 20 to 25 feet above the runway. The pilot adjusted the mixture and attempted to add more power but the engine would not respond. With no runway remaining, he continued on the departure heading and made a forced landing in a field just past the end of the runway. An examination of the airplane's systems revealed that the airplane was full of fuel, the throttle was at idol, the mixture was lean, the propeller was at high rpm, and the flaps were in the retracted position. Although the landing gear selector lever was in the "up" position, the ground scars at the initial impact point, and the damage to the landing gear, were consistent with the landing gear being in the extended position. An examination of the engine revealed that all the spark plugs were worn in a "football" shape. The shielding was exposed on the number 5 cylinder's bottom spark plug wire. A "small hole, approximate size of a pencil tip" was located on the manifold pressure tube for the number 5 cylinder. The propeller pitch control was found full forward and in contact with the pedestal stop prior to the governor stop, which would "restrict its travel to full rpm by 1/8 inch. With the engine and controls in this condition, it would not be possible for the engine to make the take-off rpm of 2,700.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.