# Accident 19981010028839A: Piper PA28181, Spartanburg, SC, October 10, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 10, 1998, 16:41 local time
- Place: Spartanburg, SC
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.9303° N, 82.0104° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.9303&lon=-82.0104&mi=10
- Aircraft: N21491, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N21491-2017-06-14) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-181 (registry code 7102807, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-181) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series (registry code 41514, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28181
- Reported engine: LYC O360A4M
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 232 total, 55 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ATL99LA008](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL99LA008) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19981010028839A

## Narrative

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

ACFT EXPERIENCED ENGINE PROBLEMS EN ROUTE, AND THE PILOT MADE A FORCED LANDING IN A FIELD.(-23) MR. WINKLES WAS THE PILOT OF N21491, A PA-28-181, ON 10-10-98, ON APPROACH TO SPARTANBURG (SPA), SC, AT APPROXIMATELY 3000 FEET AGL. THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH. MR. WINKLES SWITCHED FROM THE LEFT TANK TO THE RIGHT TANK AND BACK TO THE LEFT. HE TURNED ON THE CARBURETOR HEAT AND THE ENGINE RAN ROUGHER. MR. WINKLES TURNED THE CARBURETOR HEAT OFF AND LOOKED FOR A PLACE TO LAND. HE LANDED IN A PASTURE OF A HORSE FARM HITTING A FENCE ON ROLL OUT. THE LANDING GEAR WAS TORN OUT AND THE AIRCRAFT TURNED 90 DEGREES AND SLID APPROXIMATELY 110 FEET TO A STOP. NO INJURIES TO THE PILOT OR THE THREE PASSENGERS. (.4) ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, WHEN THE FLIGHT WAS APPROXIMATELY 11 MILES FROM OF SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA, THE AIRPLANES LEFT FUEL GAUGE BEGAN TO BOUNCE BETWEEN FOUR AND EIGHT GALLONS. THE PILOT THEN SWITCHED THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE TO THE RIGHT TANK. AFTER FIVE TO TEN SECONDS, THE ENGINE BEGAN TO SPUTTER AND A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER WAS NOTICED.  THE PILOT IMMEDIATELY SWITCHED THE FUEL SELECTOR BACK TO THE LEFT TANK, PUSHED THROTTLE AND MIXTURE BACK TO FULL FORWARD, AND TURNED THE FUEL PUMP  ON. THE PILOT ELECTED TO LAND THE AIRPLANE IN A FIELD WHEN ENGINE POWER COULD NOT BE REGAINED. THE PILOT INITIALLY CHOSE TO LAND ON A ROAD, BUT WITH THE ENGINE POWER REGAINED MOMENTARILY, HE ABORTED THE LANDING AND BEGAN A CLIMBING LEFT TURN. AS THE TURN WAS COMPLETED, THE ENGINE ONCE AGAIN LOST POWER AND THE PILOT PUT THE AIRCRAFT DOWN IN A FIELD.  AFTER TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 130 FEET AFTER TOUCH DOWN, THE AIRPLANE STRUCK A FENCE AND THEN TRAVELED ANOTHER 180 FEET.  THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO EITHER THE PILOT OR HIS WIFE AND TWO CHILDREN.  WHEN THE ENGINE WAS RUN AFTER THE ACCIDENT IT RAN SMOOTH AND DEVELOPED POWER FOR FIVE MINUTES.

## 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 ATL99LA008](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL99LA008), Oct 10, 1998: Piper PA-28-181 (N21491), Spartanburg, SC, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to manage the fuel supply which resulted in fuel starvation to the engine.

## Other reports on N21491 (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 19851103075221A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19851103075221A), Nov 3, 1985: Piper PA28181 (N21491), Angwin, CA, Minor damage. Did not see traffic on final. At rotation 24932 came over the top. Tail damaged windshield. Did not hear radio call

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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