Piper PA-28-161 N83785

Summary

On 31 October 2005 at about 23:45 local time, a Piper PA-28-161 registered N83785 was involved in an accident near Lodi, California, United States. 2 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

31 October 2005 at 23:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Lodi, California, United States

Coordinates

38.0231, -121.3758

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-161

Registration

N83785

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lodi → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX06LA023

Nobody was injured.

a loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. A factor was the trees.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During cruise, the engine lost power and the pilot made a forced landing in an orchard, separating the right wing at the root. The pilot said he departed on the flight with one fuel tank at the "tabs, and the other fuel tank contained 7-8 gallons." Approximately 25 minutes into the flight, the engine lost power. The pilot attempted unsuccessfully to restart the engine and had to force land the airplane. The mechanic who performed the annual inspection indicated that the airplane had been tied down outside during the 2 months between the inspection and the accident flight. A Safety Board investigator conducted an engine inspection and engine ground test run with no discrepancies found that would have precluded normal operation of the engine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.