- Date
- June 10, 1983, 13:27 local (20:27 UTC)
- Place
- New River, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6073ZPiper PA-25
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830610024939A
- Case key
- 23744
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 he refueled his aircraft and secured the gas cap after which he made four fifteen minutes aero tow flights. During the fifth aero tow, as the aircraft was climbing, the pilot heard an object strike the wind shield and he saw that the gas cap was missing. The pilot smelled gas fumes and signalled the glider pilot that immediate release was necessary and the glider was released. The engine was shut off at 1000 ft. AGL and the pilot ditched the aircraft in a lake.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6073Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-25
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25-85
- Airframe hours
- 3,074
- Engine
- Continental O-470-L, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Richard E. Sexton
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 9, 1983 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- AZ05 · New River, AZ
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
- 43
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 1,762 total · 70 in this make and model · 1,704 as pilot in command · 133 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 99 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PHXQ
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 N6073Z · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.