Piper PA 28 N56897

Summary

On 23 September 2015 at about 20:28 local time, a Piper PA 28 registered N56897 was involved in an accident near Elko, Nevada, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 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

23 September 2015 at 20:28

Classification

Accident

Location

Elko, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Elko Rgnl (EKO)

Coordinates

40.8222, -115.7775

Aircraft

Piper PA 28

Registration

N56897

Category

Airplane

Year built

1973

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Elko → Nampa

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR15LA266

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to sufficiently lean the engine’s fuel-to-air mixture for the given density altitude, which resulted in reduced engine power output and the airplane’s inability to climb.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot stated that, shortly after takeoff, the airplane would not maintain a positive rate of climb. The pilot reported that he had previously experienced this on hot days, so he continued to make small control corrections in anticipation of the airplane gaining altitude; however, once it reached about 200 ft above ground level, the airplane began to sink. The pilot then decided to retard the throttle and perform a forced landing into a field. The airplane landed hard, resulting in substantial damage. The airplane was operating in a high density altitude environment and at the upper limit of its takeoff performance envelope at the time of the accident. Additionally, the pilot did not lean the engine's fuel mixture control before takeoff as recommended by the engine and airframe manufacturers' operating instructions; therefore, the engine was likely not producing full power, which resulted in the airplane's inability to climb. Further, the engine's spark plugs exhibited carbon fouling signatures consistent with an overly rich fuel-to-air mixture. Postaccident examination revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.