20040220013029I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-180 · Maxton, NC · February 20, 2004

Date: February 20, 2004 · 13:00 local
Place: Maxton, NC
Airport: Laurinburg Maxton
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N5273L
Reported as: Piper PA28180
Reported engine: Lycoming O360A4A
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 750 total600 in this make and model15 in the last 90 days

N5273LRegistered now · Piper PA-28-180S/N 28-4571 · Built 1967 Airframe modelPiper PA-28-180 Engine modelLycoming O&VO-360 seriesReciprocating

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.

(-23) Pilot was on a VFR flight at approx. 6500 feet near kmeb when his engine quit. Mr. Williams was in contact with fay ATC and informed them of the situation. He was informed of the closest airport but due to a strong headwind was forced to execute an off field landing. At the scene I observed damage to the carb heat muff, cowling, and firewall due to the fire in the engine compartment.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT WAS ON A VFR FLIGHT AT APPROX. 6500 FEET NEAR KMEB WHEN HIS ENGINE QUIT. MR. WILLIAMS WAS IN CONTACT WITH FAY ATC AND INFORMED THEM OF THE SITUATION. HE WAS INFORMED OF THE CLOSEST AIRPORT BUT DUE TO A STRONG HEADWIND WAS FORCED TO EXECUTE AN OFF FIELD LANDING. AT THE SCENE I OBSERVED DAMAGE TO THE CARB HEAT MUFF, COWLING, AND FIREWALL DUE TO THE FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT.