- Date
- May 25, 1985, 16:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Nappanee, IN
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N15074Piper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850525020709A
- Case key
- 12893
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 acft nosed over during a forced landing in a field following a loss of pwr on initial climb from a touch & go landing. Post accident inspection revealed the throttle lever could rotate on the throttle shaft despite the attaching bolts being tight and safety wired. This slippage could have allowed induction suction to close the throttle plate during takeoff despite the throttle control being in the full open (in) position.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N15074
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7225581
- Airframe hours
- 3,932
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E3D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Charles H.Smith
- Registered owner
- Delbert W. Miller
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 2, 1985 · 8 hours before
- Airport
- C03 · Nappanee Municipal, runway 27, 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
- 44
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 75 total · 74 in this make and model · 26 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SBNQ, 31 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.