Piper PA-28-160 N9770J

Summary

On 5 February 2023 at about 18:55 local time, a Piper PA-28-160 registered N9770J was involved in an accident near Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 February 2023 at 18:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States

Nearest airport

Chippewa Valley Regional Airpo (EAU)

Coordinates

44.8658, -91.4843

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-160

Registration

N9770J

Category

Airplane

Year built

1967

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Eau Claire → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN23LA099

Nobody was injured.

The engine fire that began for undetermined reasons following numerous engine start attempts.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot attempted to start the engine six times before the battery died. He recharged the battery and attempted six more engine starts before ceasing further attempts. He said that during each engine start attempt, he applied the engine primer three times and pumped the throttle control two times. The throttle control was positioned about ¼ inch forward during each start attempt. At times during the start attempts, he placed the mixture control into idle cutoff and ran the engine starter. The pilot and one passenger exited the airplane while one passenger remained inside. The passenger who exited the airplane noticed a small flame inside the engine cowling. The pilot told the passenger inside the airplane to move the mixture control to idle cutoff. The passenger then exited the airplane. The fuel selector was not turned to the off position. A large fire the erupted from the engine compartment, which destroyed the airplane. Fire damage precluded determination of the fuel and ignition sources of the fire.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.