- Date
- February 27, 2001, 17:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- Brenham, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N1488TPiper PA-28R-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 30, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20010227002189A
- Case key
- 51834
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 in-flight separation of the throttle linkage, which resulted in the loss of engine power.
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 airplane took off on runway 16 and was climbing to traffic pattern altitude when the engine lost power. The pilot elected to land the airplane in a field south of the airport. During the landing roll, the airplane impacted two cows and a fence. Examination of the engine revealed that the throttle linkage was disconnected from the fuel injector body.
Factual narrative
On February 27, 2001, at 1745 central standard time, a Piper PA-28R-200 single-engine airplane, N1488T, was substantially damaged when it impacted a fence and two cows during a forced landing following a loss of engine power during takeoff from the Brenham Municipal Airport, Brenham, Texas. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The local flight originated approximately 20 minutes prior to the accident.
According to the FAA inspector, who responded to the accident site, the pilot was practicing touch-and-go landings. The airplane departed runway 16 and was climbing to traffic pattern altitude when the engine lost power. The pilot elected to land the airplane in a field south of the airport. During the landing roll, the airplane impacted two cows and a fence, and the right main landing gear collapsed.
The FAA inspector stated that the right wing spar and landing gear assembly sustained structural damage. Examination of the engine revealed that the throttle linkage was disconnected from the fuel injector body.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1488T
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-7235303
- Airframe hours
- 4,145
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C1C, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Mark J. Fertitta
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 7, 2000 · 42 hours before
- Departed
- 11R · Brenham, TX
- Airport
- 11R · Brenham Municipal, runway 16, 5,500 × 75 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
- 39
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- October 21, 1999
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 541 total · 300 in this make and model · 467 as pilot in command · 31 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.93 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.