Piper PA-18 N744

Summary

On 29 March 2007 at about 16:15 local time, a Piper PA-18 registered N744 was involved in an accident near Sweetwater, Texas, 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

29 March 2007 at 16:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Sweetwater, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Avenger Field (SWW)

Coordinates

32.4606, -100.4009

Aircraft

Piper PA-18

Registration

N744

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sweetwater → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DFW07TA089

1 person had minor injuries.

The loss of engine power due to the failure of the throttle lever/linkage. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The 6,127-hour commercial pilot discovered that the throttle was locked and would not advance when he attempted to add power after leveling off during an enroute descent. The airplane continued to descend, and the pilot tried to "wiggle the throttle back and forth" but the throttle would not advance beyond 1,000 RPM. During the subsequent forced landing, just prior to touch down, the pilot pushed the throttle forward very hard and felt the throttle pop loose, and the pilot was able to move the throttle aft and forward; however, with no affect to the engine RPM. The airplane landed on rough and uneven terrain and the airplane nosed-over during the ground roll. A review of the airframe logbooks noted the aircraft had previously been repaired after previous mishaps. Additionally, the airframe had completely been rebuilt in July 2003, including replacement of the firewall during the scheduled overhaul for the airplane. A newly overhauled engine had been installed approximately 3.5 hours prior to the accident. The investigation revealed that a throttle cable support angle was missing from the firewall. No evidence was found to confirm that the support angle was installed when the engine firewall was last replaced.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.