Piper PA-28-140 N6460R

Summary

On 6 August 2022 at about 03:15 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N6460R was involved in an accident near Vernon Hills, Illinois, United States. One person was 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

6 August 2022 at 03:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Vernon Hills, Illinois, United States

Coordinates

42.2588, -87.9480

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N6460R

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

Muncie → Grayslake

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

CEN22LA377

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s improper in-flight fuel management, which led to a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Contributing to the accident was the collapsed carburetor heat induction tube that restricted airflow to the engine preventing engine restart.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was on the return leg of a cross-country flight when the airplane’s engine lost power. He reported that he performed emergency procedures that included applying carburetor heat, switching the selected fuel tank from the left fuel tank to the right fuel tank, activating the electric fuel pump, and attempting to restart the engine. He noted that he made about 3 such attempts without success in restarting the engine. He landed on a road and the airplane’s right wing was substantially damaged when it impacted a road sign during rollout. Flight track data indicated that the airplane had been airborne on the round-trip flight for about 3 hours and 35 minutes. Postaccident examination revealed that the airplane’s left fuel tank was nearly empty, and the right tank contained about 10 gallons of fuel and 1-1/2 ounces of water. Examination of the engine revealed that the flexible tube from the heat shroud to the carburetor heat box was partially collapsed. The damage to the tube did not appear to be impact related and investigators were not able to establish when the collapse occurred. During the engine run the collapsed induction tube was reinstalled as-found following the accident. The engine started normally and ran smoothly; however, when the carburetor heat check was performed, the engine rpm reduced by 700 rpm, but returned to full rpm when the carburetor heat was turned off. No other anomalies were detected during the engine test run that would have precluded normal operations. During the second engine run the collapsed flexible tube was removed and the carburetor heat system performed as expected during the carburetor heat check. Based on the available information, the loss of engine power was likely due to fuel starvation. The collapsed induction hose only affected engine operation when carburetor heat was applied, so it would not have resulted in the initial power loss. However, the collapsed induction tube could have hampered the pilot’s attempts to restart the engine following the loss of power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.