Piper PA-28-160 N5768W

Summary

On 3 January 2012 at about 23:30 local time, a Piper PA-28-160 registered N5768W was involved in an accident near San Angelo, Texas, 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 January 2012 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

San Angelo, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

San Angelo (KSJT)

Coordinates

31.2804, -100.4106

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-160

Registration

N5768W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Angelo → San Angelo

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN12LA124

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While on the downwind leg of the landing pattern, the flight instructor asked the student to switch fuel tanks in order to balance the remaining fuel. Shortly thereafter, the student added power to adjust his approach path to the runway but the engine did not respond. The student switched back to the previous fuel tank; however, engine power was not restored. The airplane was substantially damaged during the forced landing. The flight instructor stated that, during the previous flight, the student had mentioned that the fuel selector valve did not have a noticeable detent position and asked if it was normal for the selector to rotate 360 degrees. The flight instructor was not familiar with the accident airplane and its various nuances and had not flown it before the day of the accident. A postaccident examination of the engine, fuel selector valve, and fuel systems revealed no anomalies. A representative of the airplane’s manufacturer indicated that the fuel selector valve was an older type that allows the valve to rotate without restriction; newer valve designs restrict travel so that the “off” position cannot be selected without depressing a stop. The airplane was not operating in weather conditions favorable for the formation of carburetor icing at the time of accident. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.