# Incident 20080730849609I: Piper PA25235, Unionville, PA, July 30, 2008

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 30, 2008, 15:30 local time
- Place: Unionville, PA
- Airport: Keystone Gliderport
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.9062° N, 77.8767° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Unionville, PA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.9062&lon=-77.8767&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4428Y, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N4428Y) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-25-235 (registry code 7102504, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-25-235) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-540 series (registry code 41532, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA25235
- Reported engine: LYC O540*
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 13,000 total, 200 in this make and model, 10 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20080730849609I

## Narrative

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

(-23)  ON JULY 30, 2008, A PA-25, N4428Y, REGISTERED TO KNAUFF AND GROVE, INC., AND PILOTED BY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ LOST ENGINE POWER AFTER TAKEOFF AND LANDED IN A FIELD APPROXIMATELY MILE FROM THE DEPARTURE END OF RUNWAY 25 AT RIDGE SOARING GLIDERPORT (79N).  AT THE TIME OF POWER LOSS THE AIRCRAFT WAS TOWING A GLIDER, WHICH CUT LOOSE AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY.  THE INCIDENT PILOT REPORTED THAT AT APPROXIMATELY 150-200 FEET AGL THE ENGINE QUIT, AND THAT THE WHITE SMOKE BRIEFLY FILLED THE COCKPIT.  THE ENGINE RESTARTED, AND THEN QUIT AGAIN.  THIS CYCLE REPEATED TWO MORE TIMES.  THE PILOT PERFORMED A FORCED LANDING, HITTING A DITCH IN THE PROCESS.  THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE TO THE PROPELLER, LEFT LANDING GEAR, AND UNDERSIDE OF THE LEFT WING.  TEARDOWN AND INSPECTION OF ENGINE REVEALED THAT A CASTING IMPERFECTION IN THE CARBURETOR CAUSED THE FLOAT TO HANG UP IN THE FLOAT BOWL, RESULTING IN INSUFFICIENT FUEL FLOW.  MAGNETOS WERE WEAK AND TIMING WAS OFF 5 DEGREES TO THE ENGINE.  MAGNETOS HAD IN EXCESS OF 1000 HOURS SINCE INSTALLATION, AND RECOMMENDED MID-LIFE INSPECTION WAS NOT COMPLETED.  THE COMBINATION OF INDEQUATE FUEL FLOW AND POORLY TIMED IGNITION SEQUENCE LED TO ENGINE FAILURE.

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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