# Accident 20120804017159A: Piper PA-38-112, Fate, TX, August 4, 2012

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 4, 2012, 13:30 local time
- Place: Fate, TX
- Airport: Rockwall Municipal
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 32.9167° N, 96.3833° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.9167&lon=-96.3833&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2552C, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2552C-2018-01-12) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-38-112 (registry code 7103812, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-38-112) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-235 series (registry code 41505, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-235-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-38-112
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-235 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 640 total, 570 in this make and model, 1 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN12FA520](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN12FA520) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120804017159A

## Narrative

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

AIRCRAFT DEPARTED F-46 TO PERFORM A MAINTENANCE CHECK FLIGHT AFTER ANNUAL. COMPLETED 1ST FLIGHT AND DEPARTED FOR A SECOND MAINTENANCE CHECK FLIGHT. AIRCRAFT WAS RUNNING NORMALLY AT 2450 RPM AT 75% THROTTLE. FUEL SWITCH WAS ON L/H TANK. (NOTE PRIOR TO 1ST FLIGHT L/H TANK HAD 12 GALLONS, AND R/H TANK HAD 10 GALLONS. TOTAL TIME FLOWN .82 HRS) AFTER 30 MINUTES TURNED TO R/H TANK. IN THE VACINITY OF LAKE TAWAKONI TURNED BACK TO F46. APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES EAST OF F46 THE ENGINE RPM DECREASES TO 2300 RPM. THE PILOT ATTEMTED TO GOT O FULL THROTTLE, AND THEIR WAS NO RESPONSE. HE REDUCED THROTTLE, AND WENT FULL THROTTLE AGAIN. IT WOULD ONLY GO TO 2300 RPM. HE CONTINUED BACK TO F46 AND THE ENGINE FAILED WHILE HE WAS ABOUT 2 MILES OUT. HE LANDED IN A FIELD OF CORN.THE PILOT INDICATED IN HIS INTERVIEW THAT HE DID NOT APPLY CARBURETOR HEAT. HE BELIEVED THE LOW RPM WAS DUE TO MAGNETO ISSUES.

## 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 CEN12FA520](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN12FA520), Aug 4, 2012: Piper PA-38-112 (N2552C), Fate, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: A total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examinations did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

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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