Piper PA-28-161 N2143G

Summary

On 24 June 2021 at about 15:15 local time, a Piper PA-28-161 registered N2143G, operated by Trident Aircraft Inc, was involved in an accident near Easton, Maryland, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 June 2021 at 15:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Easton, Maryland, United States

Nearest airport

Easton/Newnam Fld (ESN)

Coordinates

38.8139, -76.0657

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-161

Registration

N2143G

Category

Airplane

Year built

1978

Engines

1

Operator

Trident Aircraft Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA21LA267

1 person was seriously injured.

A total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot was conducting his first solo flight. After his second takeoff, while turning onto the downwind leg of the airport traffic pattern, he heard the engine lose power. At an altitude of 700 ft above ground level, he did not think he could make it back to the airport, so he maneuvered the airplane for a forced landing to a field. During the approach, the airplane stalled and impacted a construction area before reaching the field. A postcrash fire ensued. Flight control cable continuity for the aileron, stabilator, and rudder cables were continuous from the cockpit to the respective control surfaces, except for separations consistent with recovery cuts near the wing roots and the tailcone. The engine cylinders were examined with a borescope and minor scoring was noted. No anomalies were noted with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation; however, due to the extent of the postcrash fire damage, the ignition and fuel systems could not be examined or tested, and the reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.