Piper PA-28-161 N2115R

Summary

On 23 July 2006 at about 01:30 local time, a Piper PA-28-161 registered N2115R, operated by Gregory Goodknight, was involved in an accident near Grass Valley, California, United States. One person was 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

23 July 2006 at 01:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Grass Valley, California, United States

Nearest airport

Grass Valley (KGOO)

Coordinates

39.2211, -121.0019

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-161

Registration

N2115R

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Gregory Goodknight

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Nevada County → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX06LA251

Nobody was injured.

The loss of available engine power due to vapor lock. A contributing factor was the high temperature.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

On the pilot's second attempted takeoff, the engine lost power and the airplane overran the runway surface. The temperature was 96 degrees Fahrenheit, and the density altitude was calculated to be 6,273 feet mean sea level. The pilot was planning on making a local flight in the airplane to verify its performance. On the first takeoff attempt, the pilot aborted the takeoff due to loss of available engine power. He landed the airplane on the runway and taxied back to the run-up area to attempt another takeoff. He conducted another run-up at full power and noted no anomalies. During the second takeoff attempt, the airplane climbed to 60 feet and the engine lost power. The pilot force-landed the airplane on the remaining runway, the airplane overran the surface and encountered rough terrain. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector performed an inspection and test-run of the engine following the accident and found no operational anomalies. A condition known as vapor lock can occur when the engine heats the fuel lines and the contained fuel becomes a vapor. This tendency is increased if the fuel in the tank is warm, commonly as a result of high atmospheric temperatures. The fuel vapor can result in partial or complete interruption of fuel flow to the engine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.