- Date
- April 5, 1985, 11:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Schaumburg, IL
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8243SPiper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850405012109A
- Case key
- 12875
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
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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 student plt & instructor (CFI) were practicing touch-&-go landings. The CFI reported that after about 1 hr of flt, the eng lost power after a touch-&-go as the acft was climbing thru about 200 to 300 ft AGL. A town & some bldgs were ahead, so the CFI made a 180 deg turn to try to reach the only available field. However, the acft mushed into trees before he could reach the field. An exam revealed the fuel selector was positioned to an empty (left) fuel tank. Fuel was still remaining in the right main tank. The student & instructor had visually checked the fuel before taking off. The CFI estimated there was about 20 gal remaining with the left tank being the fullest (fuel level just below the tabs in that tank). The flt was conducted by using fuel from only the left tank.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8243S
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8216178
- Airframe hours
- 28,628
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Holiday Airways,Inc.
- Registered owner
- Paul D. Drake
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 28, 1985 · 628 hours before
- Departed
- 06C
- Destination
- O6C
- Airport
- 06C · Schaumburg, runway 28, 3,000 × 50 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
- 23
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,100 total · 800 in this make and model · 950 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 700 ft broken
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ORD, 9 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.