# Accident 19980119000469A: Piper PA28RT201T, Naperville, IL, January 19, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 19, 1998, 20:00 local time
- Place: Naperville, IL
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.7297° N, 88.1193° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.7297&lon=-88.1193&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8277W, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8277W-1998-07-02) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28RT-201T (registry code 7102817, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28rt-201t) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28RT201T
- Reported engine: CONT TSIO360FB
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 616 total, 271 in this make and model, 10 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI98LA081](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI98LA081) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980119000469A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

COLLIDED WITH GROUND VFR IN IMC. SPATIAL DISORIENTATION INDICATED. (.4)THE PILOT SAID HE WAS ABOUT 7-MILES FROM HIS HOME AIRPORT WHEN THE '...ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH AND QUIT.'  HE SAID HE ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE ENGINE WITHOUT SUCCESS.  AFTER HE PICKED OUT A FIELD FOR A FORCED LANDING THE PILOT SAID THE ENGINE RESTARTED AND RAN ROUGH.  HE SAID THE '...PROP WAS WINDMILLING AND THE ENGINE STARTED SPUTTERING JUST BEFORE TOUCHDOWN...' ON A SNOW-COVERED FIELD.  THE ON-SCENE INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO MECHANICAL ANOMALIES WITH THE ENGINE OR AIRFRAME THAT WOULD PREVENT FLIGHT.  NO EVIDENCE OF FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE FUEL TANKS, ON THE GROUND NEAR THE AIRPLANE, THE FUEL SERVO, FUEL MANIFOLD, OR INJECTOR PORTS.  THE THROTTLE ARM WAS FOUND IN THE 'CLOSED' POSITION ON THE THROTTLE BODY.                              (-23) ON JANUARY 18, 1998, AT APPROXIMATELY 2000 CST, PIPER PA-28RT-201T, N8277W., PILOTED BY PIC DAVID F. ECTON, THE SOLE OCCUPANT ON BOARD, WAS DESTROYED DURING A COLLISION WITH THE GROUND FOLLOWING UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES. THE 14 CFR PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT WAS NOT OPERATING ON A FLIGHT PLAN.  IMC CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.  THE PILOT WAS SERIOUSLY         INJURED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CHI98LA081](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI98LA081), Jan 19, 1998: Piper PA-28RT-201T (N8277W), Naperville, IL, destroyed. Probable cause: improper preflight planning and preparation by the pilot which resulted in fuel exhaustion.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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