- Date
- February 26, 1993, 12:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Chandler, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N975MAPiper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 6, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930226003949A
- Case key
- 27939
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
Loss of engine power for an undetermined reason.
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 CFI and student were practicing a simulated power-off forced landing. The CFI reported that at about 300 feet AGL, when the exercise was ended and the student applied power to go around, the engine quit after the carburetor heat control was moved to the off position. Both pilots reported that attempts to restart the engine, including turning the carburetor heat control back to the on position and moving the fuel selector to another tank, were unsuccessful. During the emergency landing in a field, the aircraft encountered soft and uneven terrain. The left main gear separated from the aircraft and the nose gear collapsed. The aircraft was examined by FAA airworthiness inspectors some time after the accident. One of the inspectors examined the wreckage after it was removed from the accident site. The results of the inspection revealed continuity of the fuel system to the fuel strainer, which was loose and did not contain a safety wire. Fuel was found in the carburetor. The fuel selector was positioned to the left fuel tank.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N975MA
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8216125
- Airframe hours
- 4,290
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Chandler Air Service
- Registered owner
- Chandler Air Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 19, 1993 · 13 hours before
- Departed
- P10
- Destination
- P10
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
- 23
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 760 total · 630 in this make and model · 490 as pilot in command · 210 in the last 90 days · 70 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 36 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.