Piper PA 28-161 N84175

Summary

On 25 August 2017 at about 14:30 local time, a Piper PA 28-161 registered N84175 was involved in an accident near Palatka, Florida, United States. 3 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

25 August 2017 at 14:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Palatka, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Palatka Muni - Lt Kay Larkin F (28J)

Coordinates

29.6581, -81.6894

Aircraft

Piper PA 28-161

Registration

N84175

Category

Airplane

Year built

1981

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

St Augustine → Palatka

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA17CA295

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot's overpriming of the engine and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action, which resulted in an engine fire.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor, student pilot, and pilot-rated passenger flew on a short cross-country instructional flight to practice stop-and-go landings. On the first landing, after touchdown, the student pilot reduced the engine power to idle, and the engine lost total power. The airplane stopped on the runway, and the student pilot noted that the electric fuel pump was still on from landing and that the mixture control was full forward. He tried to start the engine while he "pumped" the throttle, but it did not start. He stated he thought the engine was flooded, so he turned off the electric fuel pump and pulled the mixture control to the "off" position, but again the engine would not restart. He then pushed the mixture control back to full forward and tried to start the engine while pumping the throttle a couple more times, but the engine did not start. The student pilot then saw smoke coming out of the engine cowling and notified the flight instructor and passenger. The flight instructor performed the "engine fire on start checklist," told everyone to egress, and went to the cargo door to get the fire extinguisher while the passenger opened the engine cowling. When the flight instructor looked at the fire extinguisher, she noticed it was empty. The flight instructor and passenger noted that the fire was at the bottom of the engine around the carburetor and gaining in intensity. The passenger located a fire extinguisher at the airport's fixed-base operator, and when he returned, the engine compartment was fully engulfed by fire. Subsequently, the fire was extinguished by the portable extinguishers and the local fire department. Examination of the airplane revealed that the engine compartment, engine mounts, and firewall were substantially damaged by fire. The flight instructor reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.