# Accident 19980927026729A: Piper PA28140, Iowa City, IA, September 27, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 27, 1998, 12:05 local time
- Place: Iowa City, IA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.6508° N, 91.5297° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.6508&lon=-91.5297&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7353J, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N7353J-2017-07-20) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-140 (registry code 7102802, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-140) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28140
- Reported engine: LYC O320E2A
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 230 total, 110 in this make and model, 20 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI98LA362](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI98LA362) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980927026729A

## Narrative

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

ACFT CRASHED IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES. (-23)IMMEDIATELY AFTER TAKEOFF THE PILOT NOTED THAT THE ENGINE BEGAN TO LOOSE POWER.  UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE THE PILOT BEGAN TO SEARCH FOR AN OPEN SPACE TO SET THE AIRCRAFT DOWN.  THE AIRCRAFT LANDED OFF AIRPORT PASSING BETWEEN TWO TREES WHICH SEVERED THE WINGS FROM THE FUSELAGE.  BOTH THE PILOT AND PASSENGER REVEIVED MINOR INJURIES IN THE ACCIDENT.                             (-23) IMMEDIATELY AFTER TAKEOFF THE PILOT NOTED THAT THE ENGINE BEGAN TO LOSE POWER.  UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE THE PILOT BEGAN TO SEARCH FOR AN OPEN SPACE TO SET THE AIRCRAFT DOWN.  THE AIRCRAFT LANDED OFF AIRPORT PASSING BETWEEN TWO TREES WHICH SEVERED THE WINGS FROM THE FUSELAGE.  BOTH THE PILOT AND PASSENGER RECEIVED MINOR INJURIS IN THE ACCIDENT.                    (.4) THE PILOT DEPARTED RUNWAY 30.  HE REPORTED THAT IMMEDIATELY AFTER LIFTOFF, THE ENGINE 'SEEMED TO LOSE A LOT OF ITS POWER.'  THE RESIDENTIAL AREA OFFERED NO OPEN AREA TO DO AN EMERGENCY LANDING, SO HE LANDED THE AIRPLANE IN A SMALL OPENING BETWEEN TWO HOUSES.  THE AIRPLANE FUSELAGE WENT BETWEEN TWO APPLE TREES. THE PROPELLER EXHIBITED MINIMAL DAMAGE AND CHORDWISE SCRAT CHING ON ONE BLADE. THE ENGINE WAS RUN AND IT DEVELOPED 2,450 RPM'S AND THE MAGNETOS, CARBURETOR HEAT, AND FUEL SELECTOR OPERATED NORMALLY. THE FUEL FROM THE WING TANKS COULD NOT BE EXAMINED FOR CONTAMINATION SINCE THE FUEL HAD SPILLED OUT OF THE TANKS WHEN WINGS SEPARATED FROM THE FUSELAGE. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT JUST PRIOR TO TAKEOFF HE HAD SWITCHED THE FUEL SELECTOR TO THE FULLEST TANK AFTER THE ENGINE RUN UP.

## 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 CHI98LA362](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI98LA362), Sep 27, 1998: Piper PA-28-140 (N7353J), Iowa City, IA, substantial damage. Probable cause: A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

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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