Piper PA-28-180 N5205L
29 February 2004 · Mariposa, California, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 29 February 2004 at about 22:45 local time, a Piper PA-28-180 registered N5205L was involved in an accident near Mariposa, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 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.
The record
- Date
- at 22:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Mariposa, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Mariposa-Yosemite (O68)
- Coordinates
- 37.4533, -120.0567
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180
- Registration
- N5205L
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Fullerton → Mariposa
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX04LA143
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Probable cause
The total loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
All engine power was lost during an approach for landing and the airplane collided with a berm during a forced landing on soft terrain. The pilot had departed for the planned 2.5-hour-long flight with partially full fuel tanks. No mechanical malfunctions were experienced during the climb or cruise portion of the flight. The engine did not sputter or backfire. Approaching the destination airport, the engine suddenly lost all power. The pilot repositioned the fuel selector to the opposite fuel tank, and engine power was restored. However, about 1 minute later all engine power was again lost, at which point the airplane was approximately 4 miles from the airport. The airplane was subsequently examined by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector. He reported observing 4 and 8 gallons of fuel in the left and right wings' fuel tanks, respectively. The gascolator bowl was devoid of foreign material. The engine was test run and it operated normally. According to the FAA's type certificate data sheet, the airplane's unusable fuel was only 2.2 pounds (about 1/3-gallon). The cause of the engine power loss was not determined.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-28 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 May 2004 | Piper PA-28-161 | Tucson, Arizona, United States | IATA Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 18 Sep 2004 | Piper PA-28-180 | Hurdland, Missouri, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 19 Jan 2004 | Piper PA-28-181 | Fort Pierce, Florida, United States | Pan Am International Flight Academy Inc. | Fatal | 2 |
| 31 Jul 2004 | Piper PA-28-140 | Custer, South Dakota, United States | Flight Training Adventure Camps | No injuries | - |
| 8 Dec 2004 | Piper PA-28-161 | Kapolei, Hawaii, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 23 Jun 2004 | Piper PA-28-181 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
All 9,402 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Mar 2004 | Globe GC-1B | Placerville, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 14 May 2004 | Downer BELLANCA 14-19-2 | Lancaster, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 15 May 2004 | Beechcraft A60 | Gualala, California, United States | Richard L. Probert | No injuries | - |
| 21 Mar 2004 | Alon A2 | Cameron Park, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 2 Sep 2004 | Cessna 172S | Willits, California, United States | Edward A. Warburton | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 Jan 2004 | Cessna 172P | Granada Hills, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |