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20240518004619I

Incident · No damage
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FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-180 · Spokane, WA · May 18, 2024

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 18, 2024 · 12:47 local
Place
Spokane, WA
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N8256W
Reported as
Piper PA-28-180
Reported engine
Lycoming O&VO-360 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
1,288 total6 in this make and model29 in the last 90 days
N8256WRegistered now · Piper PA-28-180S/N 28-2407Airframe modelPiper PA-28-180Engine 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.

Tank fuel levels were determined prior to flight, right tank was full and left tank 10-12 gallons. Selector was left in left tank position. After take off and following 8 or 9 touch-n-gos, as the aircraft was returning to airport, aircraft engine lost power. Restart attempted but unsucessful. Instructor pilot took controls and declared mayday and feeling he was unable to make the airport, landed safely on an unused and unpopulated highway.

As the FAA filed it

TANK FUEL LEVELS WERE DETERMINED PRIOR TO FLIGHT, RIGHT TANK WAS FULL AND LEFT TANK 10-12 GALLONS. SELECTOR WAS LEFT IN LEFT TANK POSITION. AFTER TAKE OFF AND FOLLOWING 8 OR 9 TOUCH-N-GOS, AS THE AIRCRAFT WAS RETURNING TO AIRPORT, AIRCRAFT ENGINE LOST POWER. RESTART ATTEMPTED BUT UNSUCESSFUL. INSTRUCTOR PILOT TOOK CONTROLS AND DECLARED MAYDAY AND FEELING HE WAS UNABLE TO MAKE THE AIRPORT, LANDED SAFELY ON AN UNUSED AND UNPOPULATED HIGHWAY.