Piper PA-28-180 N3992R

Summary

On 1 July 2005 at about 14:40 local time, a Piper PA-28-180 registered N3992R was involved in an accident near West Carrollton, Ohio, United States. One person was 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

1 July 2005 at 14:40

Classification

Accident

Location

West Carrollton, Ohio, United States

Nearest airport

Moraine Air Park (I73)

Coordinates

39.6825, -84.2428

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-180

Registration

N3992R

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Gainesville → Dayton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC05LA111

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection that resulted in fuel contamination and a subsequent loss of engine power. A factor related to the accident was the deteriorated fuel cap seals.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot flew to the airport 2 days prior to the accident, and parked the airplane. On the day of the accident the airplane was fueled with 33.1 gallons fuel, and the pilot conducted a "thorough" preflight inspection, which included taking fuel samples from the sump drains. Upon takeoff from runway 26, the pilot smelled smoke, but elected to not abort the takeoff due to insufficient remaining runway. The airplane climbed to an altitude of 500 feet, when the pilot felt that "things just weren't right," and he elected to return to the airport. As he banked the airplane to the left, the engine suddenly lost power. The pilot then performed a forced landing, where the airplane struck trees, and subsequently impacted the ground. Prior to the accident, a witness observed the pilot conduct a high-speed taxi down the runway, exiting the runway at the midfield point, and begin to taxi towards the run-up area. Approximately 5 minutes later, the witness heard the airplane's engine sputter as it passed mid-field. The airplane was already airborne, and it seemed like it was having trouble climbing over the river levy, located at the departure end of the runway. Examination of the airplane revealed that the left and right wing fuel filler openings displayed "heavy" corrosion. Their respective filler cap gaskets were worn and flattened, and did not form an effective seal. The engine was removed from the airframe and placed on a test stand. The engine was started, and ran with no abnormalities noted. A fuel sample device was found in the wreckage. Examination of the fuel sample device revealed loose sediment and debris in the bottom of the cup, and it smelled of must, which was consistent with lack of recent use. Review of recorded weather that about .35 inches of rain fell on the day prior to the accident, while the airplane was parked outside.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.