- Date
- September 4, 1983, 16:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- Calexico, CA
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N56283Piper PA-28R-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830904046189A
- Case key
- 23502
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 plt reported that during takeoff, the eng began to miss at aprx 300 ft AGL & he felt a definite loss of power. He tried to raise the gear, but the airspeed was below the automatic gear extenstion speed, so the gear did not retract. He repositioned the gear handle to the down positon & the warning horn, which had sounded, stopped. The plt was able to fly the acft over some wires, but could not get the acft to maintain airspeed. Subsequently, the landing gear collapsed during a landing in a soft farm field. An investigation revealed that there was a fuel leak at a union joint in the line from the left wing. No other preimpact malfunction or failure was evident. However, the gross weight was estimated to have been aprx 87 lbs over the max limit. Also, the density altitude was aprx 3500 ft (temp about 110 deg).
Aircraft
- Registration
- N56283
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7335-399
- Airframe hours
- 4,649
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C1C, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Mr. Leon J. Felch
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 28, 1983 · 16 hours before
- Destination
- LHU · Lake Havasue, AZ
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- CYL · Calexico, runway 26, 4,330 × 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
- 30
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 545 total · 116 in this make and model · 440 as pilot in command · 62 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 109 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- IPL, 12 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.