19970302002029A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-28-235 · Chicago/West Ch, IL · March 2, 1997

Date
March 2, 1997 · 14:00 local
Place
Chicago/West Ch, IL
Airport
Dupage
Phase of flight
Climb
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N9420W
NTSB investigation
NTSBCHI97LA076
Reported as
Piper PA28235
Reported engine
Lycoming O540B4B5
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
626 total187 in this make and model4 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Aircraft reported engine problems after takeoff, cleared land on runway, landed and crashed departure end of runway (-23) see attached narrative; no narrative attached. (.4) during climbout after a touch-and-go, the airplane sustained a total loss of engine power. The airplane was landed in the grass on the airport property. No engine discrepancies were found during examination of the engine. The right main fuel tank was selected and contained approximately five quarts of fuel. The aircraft's owners manual listed the unusable fuel for all our fuel tanks on the airplane, at one pint each. The right main fuel tank gauge functioned normally following the accident, and no leaks were found in the right main fuel tank. The carburetor's fuel bowl was not compromised in the accident, and was nearly empty. The one fluid ounce of fluid removed from the carburetor fuel bowl, was one third water and two thirds gasoline.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT REPORTED ENGINE PROBLEMS AFTER TAKEOFF, CLEARED LAND ON RUNWAY, LANDED AND CRASHED DEPARTURE END OF RUNWAY (-23) SEE ATTACHED NARRATIVE; NO NARRATIVE ATTACHED. (.4) DURING CLIMBOUT AFTER A TOUCH-AND-GO, THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED A TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. THE AIRPLANE WAS LANDED IN THE GRASS ON THE AIRPORT PROPERTY. NO ENGINE DISCREPANCIES WERE FOUND DURING EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE. THE RIGHT MAIN FUEL TANK WAS SELECTED AND CONTAINED APPROXIMATELY FIVE QUARTS OF FUEL. THE AIRCRAFT'S OWNERS MANUAL LISTED THE UNUSABLE FUEL FOR ALL OUR FUEL TANKS ON THE AIRPLANE, AT ONE PINT EACH. THE RIGHT MAIN FUEL TANK GAUGE FUNCTIONED NORMALLY FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT, AND NO LEAKS WERE FOUND IN THE RIGHT MAIN FUEL TANK. THE CARBURETOR'S FUEL BOWL WAS NOT COMPROMISED IN THE ACCIDENT, AND WAS NEARLY EMPTY. THE ONE FLUID OUNCE OF FLUID REMOVED FROM THE CARBURETOR FUEL BOWL, WAS ONE THIRD WATER AND TWO THIRDS GASOLINE.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.