Piper PA-28-180 N4797L

Summary

On 18 July 2005 at about 22:45 local time, a Piper PA-28-180 registered N4797L was involved in an accident near Denton, Maryland, United States. 4 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.

Date

18 July 2005 at 22:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Denton, Maryland, United States

Coordinates

38.8511, -75.8156

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-180

Registration

N4797L

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Goldsboro → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD05LA103

1 person had minor injuries.

A 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

About 30 minutes after departure, and while cruising at 1,000 msl, the engine began to gradually lose power. Over the next 3 minutes, the pilot attempted to restore engine power, but was unsuccessful. He subsequently performed a forced landing to a farm field. During the landing, the airplane's landing gear sunk into the soft ground, and the right wing contacted the ground. The pilot stated that prior to departure, the airplane's fuel tanks contained a combination of aviation and automotive fuel. The airplane did not have a supplemental type certificate for the use of automotive fuel. The airplane was owned, operated, and maintained by the pilot, who did not possess a mechanic certificate. External examination of the airplane did not reveal mechanical malfunctions or failures of the engine, and further examination of the airplane or the engine was not possible.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.