- Date
- August 12, 2011, 14:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Kodiak, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N8152ZPiper PA-32-301
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Loss of engine power (partial)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 6, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration - Airworthiness
- FAA report
- 20110812017859A
- Case key
- 81469
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
A partial loss of engine power while on approach to land due to a disconnected throttle control linkage, and the maintenance director's inadequate inspection of the throttle linkage during maintenance.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot and the operator's director of maintenance (DOM) were on a postmaintenance check flight. According to the pilot, while approaching to land, the throttle control became inoperative, resulting in a partial loss of engine power. The pilot selected a tidal beach as a forced landing site but was unable to reach it and landed in shallow water short of the site. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The DOM reported that, while troubleshooting a recurring complaint of low engine manifold pressure, he noticed that the castellated nut, which connects the throttle linkage to the fuel control servo, was loose. He said that he removed the cotter pin, tightened the nut, and reinstalled the cotter pin. A postaccident engine examination revealed that a self-locking nut was missing from the throttle linkage arm, resulting in the disconnection of the throttle cable. The DOM said that the missing locknut was not the same one that he tightened but was a nut on the other end of the throttle linkage arm, about 2 inches from the castellated nut that he tightened. The DOM noted that he should have checked the security of the self-locking nut, but he did not. The self-locking nut was not recovered.
Factual narrative
The pilot and the operator's director of maintenance (DOM), were on a postmaintenance check flight. According to the pilot's written statement, while approaching to land, the throttle control became inoperative, resulting in a partial loss of engine power. The pilot selected a tidal beach as a forced landing site, but was unable to reach it, and landed in shallow water short of the site. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. In a written statement to the NTSB, the DOM reported that while troubleshooting a recurring complaint of low engine manifold pressure, he noticed that the castellated nut, which connects the throttle linkage to the fuel control servo, was loose. He said he removed the cotter pin, tightened the nut, and reinstalled the cotter pin. A postaccident engine examination revealed that a self-locking nut was missing from the throttle linkage arm, resulting in the disconnection of the throttle cable. The DOM said that the missing locknut was not the same one that he removed, tightened and reinstalled, but was a nut on the other end of the throttle linkage arm, about 2 inches from the castellated nut that he tightened. The DOM noted that he should have checked the security of the hexagon self-locking nut, but he did not. The hexagon self-locking nut was not recovered.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8152Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-301
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-8006004
- Airframe hours
- 14,271
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540 SER, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · Part 91
- Operator
- Redemption, Inc., doing business as Island Air
- Registered owner
- Cdc Corp
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 13, 2011 · 86 hours before
- Departed
- PADQ · Kodiak, AK
- Destination
- PADQ · Kodiak, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- PADQ · Kodiak, runway 29, 5,399 × 150 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 26
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 31, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,575 total · 509 in this make and model · 244 in the last 90 days · 80 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- PADQ
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 21, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 765 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N8152Z · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.