- Date
- March 31, 1987, 12:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Leakey, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N4602RPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 30, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870331007899A
- Case key
- 22236
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
Flight instructor and student pilot flying Piper PA-28-140 departed uncontrolled airport after switching fuel tanks on runway. Fuel selector valve was inadvertently moved to off position by student pilot. Aircraft engine quit on initial climb at approximately 200 ft AGL. Aircraft impacted approximately .5 miles from airport. Flight instructor seriously injured, student received minor injuries. Aircraft was substantially damaged. Piper service bulletin #840 not complied with. Sb #840 provides for new fuel selector valve cover assembly and mating handle to reduce possibility of fuel mismanagement through inadvertent selection of the off position.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4602R
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-21350
- Airframe hours
- 3,450
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 140 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Jimmy A. Wilson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 2, 1986 · 12 hours before
- Airport
- 49R · Real County
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
- 56
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,120 total · 158 in this make and model · 922 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SAT, 112 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.
Other investigations on N4602R · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.