Piper PA-28-161 N8400A

Summary

On 3 March 2008 at about 15:40 local time, a Piper PA-28-161 registered N8400A was involved in an accident near Chandler, Arizona, 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

3 March 2008 at 15:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Chandler, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Chandler Municipal (KCHD)

Coordinates

33.2692, -111.8111

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-161

Registration

N8400A

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chandler → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA08LA085

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot's delay in initiating the go-around, and the flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight and delayed remedial action. Contributing to the accident were the momentary failure of the engine to respond, the failure of both the student and the instructor to adhere to the operator's procedures, and the rough/uneven terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The dual student was practicing a simulated engine-out landing, with the intention of executing a go-around during the last part of the final approach. Although the operator's procedures called for the initiation of a go-around no lower than 300 feet above ground level (agl), the flight instructor did not call for the go-around until the airplane was about 100 feet agl. To initiate the go-around, the student pushed the throttle to the full-forward position, whereupon the engine momentarily coughed, and the airplane continued to sink. Just as the engine accelerated to full power, the airplane struck the ground on rough/uneven terrain. The accident sequence resulted in both external and internal damage to both wings. After the accident, the engine was started and run at various power settings, and no anomalies were found that would have kept it from correctly responding to a full-throttle power application.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.