- Date
- January 7, 1983, 12:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Mangum, OK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N4171PPiper PA-23-160
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830107000619A
- Case key
- 20788
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 pilot stated that shortly after takeoff the left engine surged twice and quit. He elected to make a precautionary landing in an open field which was soft from melting snow. During roll out the nose wheel dug in and the drag link broke which collapsed the nose gear. The left fuel selector cable had frozen causing the left main fuel valve to stick in the off or partially off position.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4171P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-160
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 23-1658
- Airframe hours
- 2,261
- Engine
- Lycoming LO-320-B1A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Operator
- David W. Autrey
- Registered owner
- Danny Mertz
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 17, 1983
- Departed
- Sayre, OK
- Destination
- BWD · Brownwood, TX
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
- 25
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 470 total · 7 in this make and model · 357 as pilot in command · 49 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.