Piper PA24 N9026P

Summary

On 29 December 2022 at about 18:29 local time, a Piper PA24 registered N9026P was involved in an accident near Athens, Georgia, United States. 2 people were on board and 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

29 December 2022 at 18:29

Classification

Accident

Location

Athens, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Athens/Ben Epps Airport (AHN)

Coordinates

33.9575, -83.3181

Aircraft

Piper PA24

Registration

N9026P

Category

Airplane

Year built

1966

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Athens → Dalton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA23LA097

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s failure to detect water in the fuel during the preflight inspection, which resulted in a loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot completed a preflight inspection, including sampling the fuel to check for water contamination, then departed with a passenger for a flight after maintenance was completed on the airplane. The pilot reported that a few minutes into the flight, after leveling off at 3,000 ft mean sea level, the engine seemed to power down, as if the power went to idle. The pilot established best glide airspeed and attempted to restore engine power; however, he was unable to restore power, so he declared an emergency and turned back toward the airport. Unable to make the airport, the pilot performed a forced landing into trees, substantially damaging the fuselage, empennage, and both wings. Postaccident examination of the airframe revealed that the electrical fuel pump would not operate. Disassembly of the pump revealed rust at and around the shaft bearing, indicative of water having been in the airplane’s fuel system. Examination of the engine revealed that the left magneto ground strap was not connected to the magneto and its hardware was not located. Also, debris was observed in the fuel servo filter and water was observed in the fuel samples and gascolator bowl. Based on the condition of the fuel and fuel-related components, it is likely that the loss of engine power was due to contamination of the fuel supply with water. It is unlikely that the loss of one magneto due to a disconnected ground strap resulted in a noticeable loss of power since the airplane had a second, functioning magneto.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.