20040331004509A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-34-200 · La Verne, CA · March 31, 2004

Date: March 31, 2004 · 12:41 local
Place: La Verne, CA
Airport: Brackett Field Airport
Phase of flight: Go Round (Aborted VFR)
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N74SA
NTSB investigation: NTSBLAX04CA173
Reported as: Piper PA34200
Reported engine: Lycoming IO360LYC*
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 620 total23 in this make and model23 in the last 90 days

N74SARegistration cancelled Nov 19, 2004 · Piper PA-34-200S/N 347250336 · Built 1972 Airframe modelPiper PA-34-200 Engine modelLycoming I0360 SER A&CReciprocating

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) On 03/31/04 Mr. Geoffrey fleming, while giving flight instruction in N74SA, forgot to turn the right fuel selector from off to on while simulating a single engine approach to kpoc rwy 26L. Descending from approximately 4000 feet AGL to pattern altitude, Mr. Fleming forgot to restart the right engine and set "zero-thrust" on the right engine. Upon arriving on short final, the student self-initiated a go-around on the left engine only. The aircraft failed to climb and rolled to the right because of the resulting yaw from the left engine. The aircraft crossed both RWY-26L/26R and the parallel taxiway airborne. The aircraft crashed in a tree nursery at the base of the kpoc ATCT. Both instructor and student exited the aircraft without injuries.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON 03/31/04 MR. GEOFFREY FLEMING, WHILE GIVING FLIGHT INSTRUCTION IN N74SA, FORGOT TO TURN THE RIGHT FUEL SELECTOR FROM OFF TO ON WHILE SIMULATING A SINGLE ENGINE APPROACH TO KPOC RWY 26L. DESCENDING FROM APPROXIMATELY 4000 FEET AGL TO PATTERN ALTITUDE, MR. FLEMING FORGOT TO RESTART THE RIGHT ENGINE AND SET "ZERO-THRUST" ON THE RIGHT ENGINE. UPON ARRIVING ON SHORT FINAL, THE STUDENT SELF-INITIATED A GO-AROUND ON THE LEFT ENGINE ONLY. THE AIRCRAFT FAILED TO CLIMB AND ROLLED TO THE RIGHT BECAUSE OF THE RESULTING YAW FROM THE LEFT ENGINE. THE AIRCRAFT CROSSED BOTH RWY-26L/26R AND THE PARALLEL TAXIWAY AIRBORNE. THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED IN A TREE NURSERY AT THE BASE OF THE KPOC ATCT. BOTH INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT EXITED THE AIRCRAFT WITHOUT INJURIES.

NTSB investigation

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

NTSB LAX04CA173Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal reportLa Verne, CAthe CFI 's failure to correctly reconfigure the right engine fuel selector, resulting in a total loss of power to that engine. Also causal was the CFI's failure to maintain direction control of the airplane and an adequate airspeed, which led to the airplane…Mar 31, 2004 · Substantial damage