Piper PA-28-235 N8579W

Summary

On 5 July 2023 at about 16:15 local time, a Piper PA-28-235 registered N8579W was involved in an accident near Clearwater, Florida, 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

5 July 2023 at 16:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Clearwater, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Clearwater Air Park (CLW)

Coordinates

27.9772, -82.7591

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-235

Registration

N8579W

Category

Airplane

Year built

1963

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Sarasota

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA23LA290

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s improper preflight inspection which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel contamination (water).

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was attempting to take off when the engine lost total power about 100-200 ft above the runway. He attempted to re-start the engine by switching the fuel selector from the right main tank to the left main tank, but the engine did not re-start. The pilot made a forced landing to a grassy area beyond the runway. The airplane traveled down an embankment, struck a pole and a metal gate, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and several engine mounts. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the right main fuel tank was intact and fuel was observed in the tank. When the fuel was drained from the tank’s quick drain valve, as well as the fuel strainer located on the lower fuselage, a large amount of water was drained prior to any fuel being drained. Water was also drained from the carburetor bowl and the drain plug was corroded. The pilot said that he performed a preflight inspection “per the checklists” and had drained fuel from both the left and right main fuel tanks prior to the flight; however, he did not drain the fuselage fuel strainer as part of the preflight inspection, which is required per the checklist. According to the airplane’s pilot operating handbook (POH), “This strainer should be drained regularly to avoid the accumulation of water or sediment.” Though the pilot said he drained the right main fuel tank prior to flight, he did not drain the fuselage fuel strainer as required per the checklist. As such, the loss of engine power on takeoff was most likely due to water contamination in the available fuel supply.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.