- Date
- September 16, 2005, 15:10 local (20:10 UTC)
- Place
- Greenville, AL
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N287RRPiper PA-34-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 28, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20050916023479A
- Case key
- 62597
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
The loss of left engine power due to fuel system contamination and the pilot's failure to follow procedures and his improper use of the throttle and flight controls during the forced landing.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot was departing on a cross country flight to California when on the takeoff climb, the left engine lost power 50 feet above the ground. At this point the airplane veered left and the left wing struck the ground 200 feet left of runway centerline and rested 303 feet from the left edge of the runway surface. The engine failure during takeoff emergency procedures state "close both throttles immediately, land if airborne and stop straight ahead." Post-accident examination of the airplane revealed mud, water, and other unknown debris mixed was compacted in the servo of the left engine. Before the accident flight the pilot asked a mechanic to examine the left engine. The mechanic examined the engine and told the pilot that there was a defect with the fuel servo and it needed to be repaired. The pilot acknowledged the mechanics findings but elected to depart without repairing the fuel servo.
Factual narrative
This report is based on information received by the NTSB. Additional details may be found in the NTSB's public docket for this case. For further information, please contact the NTSB Office of Public Inquiries.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N287RR
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-7350287
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1A, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- International Flight Training Academy INC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- KPRN · Greenville, AL
- Destination
- Huntington Beac, CA
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- KPRN · Mac Crenshaw Memorial Airport, runway 32
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
- 69
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,100 total · 5,100 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.